JEiUS 
THE  CARPENTE 
br  NAZARE 


II 


"3./3.'o/ 


^ 


PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


"'S. 


S/ie/f 


Section,,  ^^.^}:Qt. 

/ 
Number 


^ 


JESUS,  THE  CARPENTER  OF 
NAZARETH 


4# 


JESUS,  THE  CARPENTER 
OF   NAZARETH 


BY 

A    LAYMAN 

^  V      ^        \ 


SECOND  EDITION  REVISED 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS 

1899 


COPYRIGHT,  1891,  BY 
ROBERT  BIRD. 


PREFACE. 


This  life  is  written  in  short  realistic  pictures,  endeavouring 
to  avoid  theology  and  sectarianism,  that  mothers  of  all  creeds 
may  read  it  to  their  children,  and  that  children  in  later  life 
may  read  it  for  themselves.  Two  points  are  dwelt  on,  which 
are  common  to  all  the  Churches — the  beauty  of  the  Life  of 
fesusy  and  the  personal  contact  of  the  Spirit^ — beyond  that, 
lie  the  dividing  walls  of  creeds  and  dogmas.  Amid  the 
present  day  questioning  of  beUefs,  writings,  and  authorities, 
and  the  ever  broadening  of  common  charity,  it  is  well  that 
our  children  should  begin  with  Christianity  as  Jesus  left  it, 
that  they  may  be  enabled  to  judge  for  themselves  how  much 
of  the  sectarian  structures  of  the  succeeding  ages  they  need 
regard  as  essential  to  religion,  and  how  much  as  only 
optional.  A  cathedral  is  a  good  place  to  worship  in,  but 
some  prefer  the  open  field.  A  simpler  Christianity  is 
urgently  wanted.  The  hope  of  the  future  is  in  the  young; 
and  there  is  no  better  way  to  make  good  men  and  women, 
than  by  early  training  them  to  look  to  the  highest  Example 


VI  PREFACE. 

that  they  can  follow — feeding  their  minds  with  the  heroism 
of  His  gentle  deeds,  their  hearts  with  the  tenderness  of  His 
love,  their  spirits  with  the  purity  of  His  truth — until  they 
deeply  realise  that  in  Divine  Manhood,  Jesus,  the  Car- 
penter of  Nazareth,  amid  the  scenery  of  Galilee,  walked  in 
very  truth  the  path  of  life  before  them,  through  cloud  and 
sunshine,  in  joy  and  sorrow,  at  once  their  Hope  and  their 
Guide. 


..Jf 


INCIDENTS 

PAGE 

A  Green  and  Sunny  Land i 

His  Father  and  Mother 5 

An  Angel's  Visit 8 

His  Father's  Dream 12 

The  Ride  to  Bethlehem 14 

The  Angels'  Song 18 

Jesus  Born 21 

His  Name 25 

The  Golden  Temple 27 

The  Star  of  Bethlehem 31 

The  Flight  to  Egypt 36 

King  Herod  and  the  Children 39 

The  Return  to  Nazareth 42 

Childhood  in  Nazareth 45 

His  First  Visit  to  Jerusalem 47 

The  Teachers  in  the  Temple 51 

He  Learns  to  be  a  Carpenter 53 

He  Leaves  Nazareth 58 

Tempted  in  the  Wilderness 63 

He  Chooses  Five  Disciples 66 

The  Marriage  at  Cana 69 

Clearing  the  Golden  Temple 71 

Nicodemus 74 

John  and  Jesus 77 

The  Woman  at  the  Well 79 

The  Nobleman's  Boy 83 

Fishing  on  the  Lake 84 

He  Heals  Them  All 86 

vii 


Vlll  INCIDENTS. 

PAGE 

Walking  Through  Galilee 88 

Let  Through  the  Roof 90 

Matthew  the  Tax-Gatherer 92 

The  Twelve  Disciples 95 

Consider  the  Lilies 98 

The  Pool  of  Bethesda 102 

In  the  Barley-fields  .        .        .        ....        .        ,        .  106 

Stretch  Out  Thine  Hand  .         .        .        .        .        .        .        .  108 

The  Officer's  Servant no 

The  Widow's  Son         .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .112 

John's  Message 114 

Mary  Magdalene 117 

False  Pharisees 120 

The  Key  of  Knowledge 124 

Treasures  in  Heaven 126 

Wise  and  Foolish  Servants 128 

The  Sower 131 

The  Angel-Reapers 133 

The  Green  Blade  and  the  Ear 135 

Birds  of  the  Air  have  Nests .139 

Legion  and  the  Swine 142 

The  Ruler's  Little  Daughter 145 

Two  Blind  Beggars 148 

The  Brow  of  the  Hill 150 

The  Fig  Tree  in  the  Vineyard  .        .        .        .        .        .154 

His  Discipt'i^s  Sent  to  Teach 157 

The  Princess  Salome's  Dance 160 

The  Return  of  the  Disciples 164 

Crown  Him! 167 

Be  not  Afraid!    .         .        . 171 

Is  not  this  Jesus?       .         . i73 

Many  Leave  Him         .         . i77 

Spies  from  Jerusalem.         .        . 181 

The  Towns  of  Tyre  and  Sidon 184 

The  Snows  of  Hermon 187 

On  a  Brown  Hillside 189 

Men  like  Trees  W^alking  .        .        .        .        .        .        .        •  i93 


INCIDENTS.  IX 

PAGE 

Who  am  I?  .        .        . 197 

Get  Thee  Behind  Me,  Tempter!       .    • 200 

His  Face  did  Shine  as  the  Sun 203 

Lord,  I  Believe! 206 

A  Child  in  the  Midst 209 

Forgive  Thy  Brother 213 

The  Temple  Shekel 216 

The  Festival  of  Bowers 219 

Jesus  in  the  Temple    .        .        . 222 

Soldiers  Refuse  to  Take  Him 225 

The  Light  of  Life 228 

The  Truth  shall  Make  you  Free 232 

Farewell  to  Galilee 237 

The  Ten  Lepers 241 

The  Lord's  Prayer 244 

The  Good  Samaritan 247 

The  Cottage  at  Bethany 251 

The  Beggar  and  the  Priests 254 

The  Shepherd  and  the  Sheep  . 258 

Solomon's  Porch  in  Winter 262 

Danger  in  Jerusalem  .        .        . 265 

At  the  Grave  of  Lazarus 267 

The  Council  of  Priests 271 

Sabbath-keeping 273 

Kindness  and  Humility 276 

Rejoicing  Angels 279 

The  Erring  Brother 283 

The  Money-God 286 

The  Rich  Man  and  the  Beggar 289 

One  of  these  Little  Ones         .         .        .        .        .        .        .291 

Heaven  is  Within  You 293 

The  Door  of  Heaven 296 

Morning  Prayers 299 

Wives  and  Mothers 302 

He  Blesses  the  Little  Children 305 

The  Rich  Young  Ruler      .        .......  308 

The  Workers  and  the  Vines    .        .        ,        .        .       .        .312 


X  INCIDENTS. 

PAGE 

The  Sons  of  Zebedee 315 

Zacch^us  in  the  Tree 319 

The  King's  Servants 323 

Blind  Bartim^us  the  Beggar 326 

He  Rides  into  Jerusalem 330 

Children  Shouting  in  the  Temple 335 

His  Last  Teaching  in  the  Temple 340 


The  Fruits  of  Heaven 


342 


The  Wedding  Garment 346 

A  Roman  Penny 349 

As  THE  Angels  of  Heaven 352 

The  Greatest  Commandment 355 

Serpents,  Vipers,  Hypocrites! 359 

The  Widow's  Farthing 363 

Children  of  Light 365 

In  Clouds  of  Glory 369 

Learn  of  the  Fig  Tree 373 

The  Ten  Bridesmaids 375 

Hungry  and  you  fed  Me 378 

She  did  what  she  could 381 

Thirty  Pieces  of  Silver 383 

Preparing  the  Passover  Supper 386 

The  Last  Supper 389 

Judas  goes  out 393 

Little  Children,  love  one  another 397 

The  Spirit  •'  ?  Truth 401 

The  Vine  and  its  Branches 405 

And  this  is  Heaven 409 

The  Garden  of  Gethsemane 412 

He  is  taken  a  Prisoner 416 

Before  the  Cock  crows 420 

A  Mock  Trial 424 

Struck  by  Soldiers 428 

The  Death  of  Judas 432 

Before  Pilate 435 

Mocked  by  King  Antipas 440 

Pilate  finds  no  Fault 442 


INCIDENTS.  XI 

PAGE 

The  Crown  of  Thorns 446 

Daughters  of  Jerusalem 450 

Nailed  upon  the  Cross 4c;  ^ 

It  is  Finished  ! 450 

His  Grave  in  the  Garden 45 -j 

Jesus  Dead  ! 462 

He  is  Risen  ! 466 

On  the  Road  to  Emmaus 469 

Be  not  Doubtful  but  Believing 472 

Lovest  thou  Me? 474 

A  Cloud  received  Him 478 

Peter's  Defence 481 

Peter  and  John  before  Caiaphas 485 

The  Finished  Picture 488 


^IW- 


GALILEE  AND  THE  LAKE  OF 
GENNESARET. 


A  GREEN  AND  SUNNY  LAND. 

WouLDST  thou  like  to  hear  about  the  most  wonderful  One 
that  ever  lived  ?  He  was  beautiful,  and  kind,  and  loved  little 
children.  His  name  is  JESUS  OF  NAZARETH  !  But  I 
wish  thee  to  know  all  that  He  ever  did  or  said,  and  to  learn  to 
love  Him  dearly,  for  such  knowledge  is  very  precious,  and 
will  become  more  precious  the  older  thou  dost  grow. 

It  is  a  long  story,  but  thou  wilt  not  tire,  for  I  will  tell  it 
in  little  pieces,  each  piece  a  picture,  and  very  interesting. 
The  first  will  be  about  the  Sunny  Land  in  which  Jesus  lived ; 
for,  though  it  is  a  long  time  ago,  I  wish  it  to  seem  as  though 
thou  hadst  seen  Him  but  yesterday  in  a  green  glen  of  Galilee 
with  the  people  round  Him. 

He  never  did  grow  old,  and  used  to  gather  children  about 
Him,  and  speak  to  them,  and  take  them  in  His  arms,  and 
thou  wilt  love  Him  in  return  before  thou  hast  heard  one  half 
of  the  kind  things  He  did,  and  the  cruel  things  which  were 
done  to  Him.  He  went  about  teaching  and  doing  wonders, 
and  was  taken  a  prisoner  by  soldiers,  scourged,  and  killed 
with  great  pain,  and  buried  in  a  beautiful  garden;  but  He 
rose  again,  and  we  are  told  that,  when  on  a  hill-top  with  His 
friends,  He  was  taken  up,  and  a  white  cloud  received  Him 
out  of  their  sight.  On  the  night  when  He  was  born,  a  band 
of  angels  passed  singing  through  the  starry  sky ;  and  when 
He  went  away,  a  bright  angel  stood  beside  the  men  on  the 
green  hill-top  to  tell  them  that  He  would  return. 

z 


2  FRUITS    AND    FLOWERS. 

The  sunny  land  of  Palestine,  in  which  He  lived,  is  far  away 
from  England.  If  a  man  were  to  walk  on  in  a  straight  line, 
it  would  take  him  more  than  one  hundred  days  to  reach  it. 
But  thou  canst  not  walk  thither,  for  the  sea  is  between  it  and 
England,  and  people  have  to  go  in  ships,  which  take  fourteen 
days  to  reach  its  warm  shores,  at  the  end  of  the  blue 
Mediterranean  Sea.  In  Summer,  it  is  so  hot  there  that  thou 
wouldst  have  to  wear  thin  loose  clothing;  while  in  Winter, 
there  is  seldom  any  snow  excepting  on  the  high  hills,  and  no 
ice,  but  there  are  heavy  rains  that  swell  the  brooks  into 
dangerous  torrents,  during  which  time  cold  winds  blow, 
especially  at  night.  But  this  soon  passes  off,  and  the  sun 
grows  hot,  and  out  come  bright  flowers  among  the  grass,  and 
leaves  upon  the  trees,  making  the  land  green  and  sunny  again, 
till  the  grass  is  dried  up  with  scorching  heat.  Children 
should  love  that  country,  for  it  has  high  windy  hills,  green 
and  rocky  valleys,  dark  caves,  sparkling  springs,  fruitful  plains, 
particularly  where  Jesus  lived ;  and  there  are  plenty  of  sweet 
fruits,  coloured  birds,  and  wild  flowers. 

Golden  oranges,  pale  lemons,  purple  grapes,  red  apples, 
green  olives  and  citrons  grow  out  of  doors  there,  and  children 
find  almonds,  figs,  walnuts,  dates,  mulberries,  cherries,  pome- 
granates by  the  roadside.  The  oranges  are  not  pale  like 
those  which  come  to  England,  but  are  left  upon  the  tree 
until  large,  sweet,  and  golden  they  are  about  to  fall  off  for 
ripeness,  then  the  children  pluck  them.  The  flowers,  too, 
are  more  brilliant  than  in  England.  In  Spring  the  ground  is 
covered  with  their  bright  colours,  but  their  shapes  would  be 
strange,  and  thou  wouldst  not  know  their  names,  but  if 
thou  wert  to  gather  a  bunch,  there  would  be  some  which 
thou  hadst  often  seen  before.  The  white  daisy,  the  crimson 
poppy,  yellow  marigolds,  blue  lupins,  climbing  convolvulus, 
red  roses,  scarlet  geraniums,  slender  white  lilies,  tulips, 
crocuses,  narcissus,  and  thousands  of  red  anemones  that 
almost  hide  the  grass  with  their  red  heads.  Upon  the  hills, 
in  the  glens,  and  by  the  springs  and  streams,  are  the  silver- 
leafed  olive  tree,  evergreen  oak,  terebinth,  cedar,  and  fir  trees. 


TREES,    BIRDS,    VILLAGES.  3 

and  by  the  wells  and  villages,  the  tall  feathery  palm,  or  the 
broad  green  sycamore,  cast  their  shadows  over  the  flat  house 
roofs,  and  in  the  gardens  flourish  the  cypress,  myrtle,  bay, 
and  rosy  flowering  oleanders.  The  birds  of  Palestine  have 
feathers  of  red,  blue,  green,  and  gold ;  with  lovely  wings  and 
breasts,  and  strange  names — hoopoe,  roller,  bulbul,  sunbird ; 
but  thine  eyes  would  soon  discover  a  grey  lark  singing  in  the 
sky,  a  redbreast  or  blackbird  on  the  hedge,  and  the  dear 
dusty-breasted  common  English  sparrow.  There,  too,  are  the 
wren,  titmouse,  nightingale,  thrush,  wagtail,  swallow,  eagle, 
raven,  crow,  partridge,  and  countless  beautiful  moths  and 
butterflies.  There  are  wild  animals  also  in  lonely  places — 
the  hyaena,  leopard,  wolf,  jackal,  boar,  gazelle ;  and  every 
village  has  its  yellow  dogs,  lean  and  hungry,  that  bark  at 
strangers. 

The  country  is  very  hilly,  and  stretches  along  by  the  sea, 
with  one  deep  river  called  the  Jordan  running  through  the 
middle  of  it  from  one  lake  away  down  to  another.  At  the 
lower  end  the  ground  is  bare  and  rocky,  but  as  you  go  north- 
ward it  grows  greener,  until  at  the  further  end  it  is  all  hills 
and  valleys,  streams  and  fountains.  It  was  in  this  highland 
part,  called  Galilee,  that  Jesus  lived. 

Thou  wouldst  think  His  village  a  very  country  place,  only 
a  cluster  of  white  houses  hid  in  a  hollow  of  the  green  hills. 
It  is  there  still,  and  goes  by  the  same  name  of  Nazareth. 
Built  a  little  way  from  the  top  of  the  valley,  it  is  sheltered 
by  the  hills,  and  cannot  be  seen  from  the  great  plain  below ; 
but  if  thou  wert  to  climb  the  hills  behind,  thou  wouldst  see 
that  the  little  village  is  a  long  way  from  the  sea,  so  that  ships 
do  not  come  near  it,  and  carriages  seldom  pass  through  its 
street.  If  the  day  were  clear  thou  mightest  see  the  curving 
yellow  shore  and  sparkling  blue  waters  of  the  Mediterranean 
Sea,  with  the  white  sails  of  ships ;  and  beyond  the  wooded 
line  of  the  Jordan,  the  great  mountain  of  Hermon,  capped 
with  glittering  snow.  Looking  down  at  the  little  houses  at 
thy  feet,  thou  wouldst  at  once  say  that  this  quiet  village 
would  be  a  choice  place  in  which  to  spend  one's  childhood, 


4  NAZARETH. 

for  thou  knowest  that  we  do  not  then  need  cities,  and  steam- 
engines,  so  much  as  green  hills,  and  laughing  streams  to  teach 
us. 

Its  name,  Nazareth,  some  say  means  "  Flowery,"  because  of 
the  wild  flowers  that  bloom  around  it ;  and  its  houses  are  still 
the  same  kind  as  when  Jesus  was  a  boy — built  on  both  sides 
of  the  narrow  main  street,  of  white  stone,  small,  square-shaped, 
like  large  bricks,  with  little  doors  and  windows  grown  over 
with  creeping  vines  to  keep  out  the  sun,  and  broad  flat  roofs, 
having  an  outside  stair  to  go  up  by.  Tall,  thick-leaved  trees 
shade  them  from  the  heat ;  while  gardens  fenced  with  prickly 
hedges  are  full  of  green  shrubs  and  bright  flowers. 

The  village  does  not  lie  upon  a  busy  road,  and  few 
strangers,  except  curious  visitors,  go  up  the  quiet  street,  with 
its  small  crossings  branching  off".  When  Jesus  lived  in  a  little 
house  just  like  one  of  those,  still  fewer  strangers  came,  and 
the  villagers  lived  a  peaceful  life.  Shepherds  and  goatherds, 
with  crook  and  dog,  led  out  their  sheep  in  the  morning  to  the 
hflls,  and  watched  them  straying  up  and  down  till  night,  when 
they  brought  them  home  again.  Some  were  gardeners,  who 
went  to  the  orange  and  olive  groves  to  trim  the  trees,  or  to 
the  grape-slopes  to  tend  the  vines,  and  made  oil  and  wine 
and  raisins  out  of  their  fruits.  Others  were  small  farmers, 
who  ploughed,  sowed,  and  reaped  their  wheat  and  barley 
crops.  On  market  days  the  villagers  took  their  baskets  of 
grapes,  olives,  figs,  and  grain,  their  bags  of  wool,  bottles  of 
wine  ai^J  oil,  their  eggs,  honeycombs,  and  sheep  and  goats, 
down  to  the  busy  crowded  towns,  by  the  beautiful  Lake  of 
Gennesaret,  to  sell  them,  or  exchange  them  for  the  few  simple 
things  which  they  required. 

If  thou  wert  to  walk  up  that  narrow  street  to-day  thou 
wouldst  meet  tall,  dark-faced  men,  with  waving  cloaks  and 
with  bright  kerchiefs  on  their  heads ;  and  red-cheeked  women 
with  dresses  of  blue  and  red  and  yellow  and  with  coloured 
napkins  on  their  dark  hair,  and  a  string  of  silver  coins  on  their 
brow.  They  wear  no  shoes,  but  have  a  piece  of  thick  leather 
tied  upon  their  foot,  and  their  steps  make  no  noise  as  they 


HIS    FATHER    AND    MOTHER.  5 

walk  over  the  round  stone  pavement.  Children  too,  with  dark 
merry  eyes  and  white  teeth,  would  peep  round  doors  and  house 
corners  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  little  white  stranger  who  had 
come  to  their  village. 

I  have  told  thee  of  the  flowers,  fruits,  and  hills,  and  I  am 
sure  thou  art  curious  to  know  in  which  of  these  vine-covered 
cottages  Jes"'^  lived,  but,  what  thou  art  to  remember  is,  that 
His  home  was  in  a  peaceful  valley  in  the  highlands  of  a  far-off 
Sunny  Land. 

HIS   FATHER  AND   MOTHER. 

NAZARETH,   B.C.    I. 

In  one  of  the  little  houses  of  Nazareth  there  lived  long  ago 
a  carpenter  called  Joseph.  He  was  descended  from  the  kings 
of  that  country,  but  with  a  heart  as  good  as  any  king,  he 
worked  daily  in  a  workshop.  Though  he  lived  in  Nazareth, 
his  father  and  mother  came  from  Bethlehem,  at  the  other  end 
of  the  country,  so  that  he  did  not  really  belong  to  Nazareth. 
Tall,  broad-shouldered,  and  strong,  his  face  was  brown  with 
the  sun,  while  his  loose  and  free  dress  suited  hot  weather  and 
hard  work ;  only  a  long  linen  tunic,  without  sleeves,  close 
at  the  neck  and  coming  down  to  his  feet,  and  a  bright  girdle 
round  his  waist.  Over  this,  a  loose  cloak  of  coarse  blue  cloth, 
and  on  his  head  a  coloured  kerchief — red,  yellow,  or  striped 
— bound  round  his  head  with  a  cord,  and  folded  so  as  to 
cover  his  black  hair  and  part  of  his  brow,  and  hang  down  on 
either  side,  falling  upon  his  shoulders  to  protect  his  neck  and 
ears  from  the  sun.  He  had  neither  shoes  nor  stockings,  for 
these  would  have  been  too  hot ;  but  sandals  of  leather  tied  on 
with  thin  straps,  crossed  and  wound  round  his  leg  and  fastened 
at  the  knee,  and  thus  his  feet  were  cool,  his  arms  also  bare 
when  he  threw  off  his  blue  cloak  to  work. 

Joseph  was  well  known  to  the  people  about  Nazareth,  for  he 
was  a  good  man  and  every  one  employed  him ;  besides,  he 
was  descended  from  King  David,  and,  like  every  Jew,  he  was 
proud  of  his  family. 


6  JOSEPH. 

His  carpenter's  workshop  was  open,  like  a  shed,  so  that  the 
wind  might  cool  him  when  working,  and  the  rain  be  kept  off, 
and  it  had  a  long  wooden  bench  in  the  middle  upon  which  to 
place  the  box  or  wheel  he  was  making.  With  glancing  axe  in 
the  forest  he  hewed  down  trees,  spHt  them  into  logs,  and  with 
rasping  saw  cut  them  into  planks  and  carried  them  to  his  work- 
shop, there  to  be  trimmed  and  divided,  and  with  measure, 
chisel,  and  hammer,  made  into  tables,  boxes,  wheels,  ploughs, 
saddles,  mills,  as  the  villagers  wanted.  He  could  make  or 
mend  all  kinds  of  wooden  things,  and  build  a  boat  at  the 
Lake-side  if  required.  As  soon  as  the  sun  rose  above  the 
distant  hills  his  work  began  in  the  morning,  for  it  was  then 
cool,  and  he  worked  until  the  heat  of  midday  compelled  him 
to  rest ;  but  by  the  afternoon,  he  was  busy  again  splitting, 
sawing,  hammering,  for  he  gave  good  work,  and  prospered  well. 
If  thou  couldst  look  into  his  shed  this  evening,  and  see  how 
he  stops  work  only  when  darkness  prevents  him  seeing  any 
longer,  thou  wouldst  say  his  face  is  contented  and  kind,  and 
wouldst  wonder  why  he  works  so  hard.  And  he  had  a  reason, 
for  there  was  a  house  to  build,  dishes,  jars,  lamps,  furniture, 
clothes  to  get,  and  goats,  and  a  donkey  and  saddle  to  buy, 
before  he  could  marry  the  sweet  maiden  who  had  promised  to 
be  his  wife. 

In  the  same  village  of  Nazareth  there  lived  a  beautiful 
maiden  called  Mary,  a  name  which  she  has  made  dear  to  us 
all,  and  w^'ch  thou  wilt  ever  associate  with  her  after  thou  hast 
heard  her  story.  She  was  not  rich,  nor  yet  very  poor ;  living 
with  her  father  and  mother  and  brothers  and  sisters,  she  wore 
the  ordinary  dress  of  a  Jewish  country  girl,  yet  with  a  modesty 
and  charm  pecuHar  to  herself  Her  face  was  ruddy,  and  there 
was  a  gentle  look  in  her  large  brown  eyes,  and  a  sweet  sunny 
smile  on  her  lip,  that  showed  she  was  meditative,  and  had  happy 
thoughts.  Her  dress  was  strong  and  simple, — a  long  loose 
jacket  of  striped  colours,  close  at  the  neck,  open  in  front,  and 
falling  over  her  bright-coloured  lower  garments  ;  a  soft  scarf 
binding  in  her  waist,  and  spreading  down  with  a  fringe  at  the 
ends,  while  wide  hanging  sleeves  showed  her  bare  arms.     Her 


MARY.  7 

light-brown  hair  was  hidden  by  a  long  scarlet  or  white  napkin 
that,  bound  upon  her  head,  hung  down  her  back,  and  on  her 
bare  feet  were  loose  sHppers  of  yellow  leather.  Her  orna- 
ments were  a  few  thin  rings  of  brass  clasped  upon  her  ankles, 
that  tinkled  as  she  walked,  a  narrow  bracelet,  perhaps  of  silver, 
upon  each  arm,  at  her  neck  a  string  of  glass  beads,  and  in  her 
hair,  and  across  her  brow,  a  row  of  coins,  lighter  than  six- 
pences, that  flashed  and  shook  as  she  bowed  or  turned  her 
head.  When,  with  one  hand  on  her  waist,  and  the  other  bal- 
ancing a  red  water-jug  upon  her  shoulder,  she  walked  down  the 
village  street  in  the  evening  sunlight,  to  bring  water  for  her 
mother  from  the  spring  where  the  village  maidens  met  to  chat 
and  laugh,  she  was  a  pretty  sight,  loveliest,  gentlest  of  them 
all.  At  home  she  helped  her  mother :  milking,  sewing,  bak- 
ing for  her  brothers,  and  gathering  firewood ;  and  she  could 
sing  the  songs  of  her  native  land,  spin  wool,  weave  cloth,  dye 
bright  colours,  and  make  clothing.  Strong  and  hght  of  foot, 
she  did  not  fear  to  go  out  alone,  and  climb  the  hills  behind, 
or  wander  down  the  vale,  nor  to  be  out  in  the  dark ;  every  one 
knew  her,  none  would  harm  her,  and  so  she  had  grown  up 
trustful  and  fearless. 

Her  home  was  not  far  from  Joseph's.  She  knew  him  well. 
Often  had  he  met  her  in  the  fields,  where  the  fragrant  olean- 
ders grew,  and  spoken  words  of  sweetness,  till  now  she  knew 
no  dearer  sight  than  Joseph  coming  to  meet  her,  for  she  loved 
him  with  all  her  heart,  and  all  the  village  knew  that  she  was 
to  be  his  wife.  His  workshop  was  close  by.  She  knew  it  too, 
for  did  not  her  heart  beat  faster  every  time  she  passed  it  when 
he  was  there?  Often  as  she  went  to  the  fields,  or  the  goats, 
or  the  spring,  she  heard  his  rough  saw  rasping  through  the 
plank,  or  the  quick  blows  of  his  hammer  on  the  wood,  and 
thought  of  him  with  pride  and  pity.  Sometimes,  too,  she 
paused  when  she  came  to  his  shed,  and  called  to  him,  and 
then  the  carpenter  stopped  his  work,  wiping  the  sweat  from 
his  brow,  as  he  listened  to  her  message,  and  soon  she  passed 
on  in  the  sunshine  with  a  happy  light  in  her  face  as  she 
thought  upon  his  words. 


8  AN  angel's  visit. 

She,  too,  was  busy  as  Joseph,  weaving  cloth,  making  mats, 
cushions,  curtains,  garments,  and  gathering  odd  things,  for  in 
a  few  quick  months  they  would  be  married  and  Uving  together 
in  a  small  house  furnished  by  themselves. 

Thou  hast  heard  much  about  Joseph  and  Mary,  and  I  can 
hear  thee  ask,  "  But  who  are  they?  "  Canst  thou  not  guess? 
They  were  to  be  the  father  and  mother  of  httle  Jesus,  and 
I  wish  thee  to  remember  their  names — Joseph,  the  village 
carpenter,  and  Mary,  the  village  maiden. 


AN    ANGEL'S    VISIT. 

NAZARETH,   SPRING,   B.C.    I. 

One  day,  it  is  thought  in  the  evening,  when  the  shadows  of 
the  hills  were  falling  over  the  flowery  vale  of  Nazareth,  and 
the  sun's  last  rays  were  glittering  among  the  green  leaves,  for 
it  was  the  Spring-time,  an  angel  came  with  a  message  for 
Mary.  Thou  knowest  that  Heaven  is  the  home  of  angels. 
They  are  God's  messengers.  Mary  was  not  yet  married,  and 
was  alone  in  the  dim  room  of  her  mother's  house,  when  sud- 
denly the  angel  Gabriel  stood  before  her,  the  greatest  angel  in 
Heaven,  and  she  was  startled  and  feared  to  look  at  him,  but 
thou  knowest  what  an  angel  is  like?  Tall  as  a  young  man, 
with  a  beautiful  face,  having  in  it  the  valour  of  boyhood  and 
the  sweetness  of  a  girl,  bright  yellow  hair,  a  soft  robe,  dazzling 
as  frosted  snow,  gathered  and  clasped  at  his  neck,  and  flowing 
down  to  a  golden  fringe  at  his  feet ;  at  his  back  two  great 
shining  wings,  which  shew  that  he  is  a  messenger  of  the 
heavens ;  his  face,  his  feet,  his  hands,  glistering  like  the  sun. 
That  is  an  angel. 

"  Hail !  for  thou  art  highly  favoured  !  "  the  angel  said,  in  a 
gentle  voice, "  God  is  with  thee,"  and  this  was  partly  the  usual 
greeting  in  that  country.  Mary  heard,  but  was  too  much 
afraid  to  answer,  and  sat  looking  down,  wondering  what  his 
words  could  mean. 

"  Fear  not,  Mary  !   for  thou  art  a  favourite  of  God,"  the 


THE    angel's    message.  9 

angel  continued,  noticing  her  fear;  and,  as  she  sat  in  her 
Httle  room  with  head  bowed  before  him,  he  went  on  to  give 
this  wonderful  message — 

"  Thou  shalt  have  a  son,  and  shall  call  Him  JESUS.  He 
shall  be  great,  ajid  people  will  call  Him  the  Son  of  God :  and 
God  will  give  Him  the  throne  of  King  David,  and  He  will 
reign  for  ever.  Of  His  ki?igdom  there  shall  be  no  end.^''  When 
the  angel  ceased  there  was  silence,  and  he  stood  looking  at 
Mary,  while  she  sat  wondering  and  thinking,  and  looking  down 
at  his  shining  feet.  She  knew  Jesus  would  one  day  be  born, 
but  that  she,  the  village  maiden,  should  be  His  mother,  was  a 
thing  too  strange  for  her  to  understand  :  she  expected  Jesus 
would  have  a  queen  for  His  mother.  But  the  angel's  voice 
was  so  kind,  and  what  he  said  was  so  joyful,  that  gradually  her 
fears  vanished,  and  in  a  low  voice  she  asked — 

*'  How  shall  this  be  ?  "  And  the  angel  answered,  telling 
her  that  her  cousin  Elisabeth,  who  lived  in  distant  Hebron, 
would  also  have  a  little  son,  although  she  was  old.  Again  he 
ceased  speaking,  and  Mary,  who  had  been  earnestly  listening 
to  every  word,  felt  that  he  waited  for  her  answer,  and  in  a 
low,  earnest  voice  she  replied — 

"  I  am  the  handmaid  of  God :  let  it  be  to  me  as  thou  hast 
said."  Then  the  angel  departed,  leaving  her  alone,  wondering 
at  what  had  happened. 

Now,  at  this  time,  the  people  of  that  country  expected  that 
a  great  Saviour  of  their  nation  would  soon  appear,  of  whom 
good  news  had  been  written  in  different  parts  of  the  Bible, 
in  many  different  ways,  hundreds  of  years  before.  And 
as  the  people  were  much  vexed  and  distressed  by  their 
Roman  conquerors,  they  prayed  and  longed  and  looked  for 
this  Saviour  to  come  with  deep  and  intense  desire.  They 
called  Him  the  Messiah,  and  other  beautiful  names,  but  He 
was  best  known  by  the  Greek  name  of  the  Christ.  In  the 
Bible  it  was  written  that  He  would  be  born  in  Bethlehem, 
that  angels  would  tell  of  His  coming,  that  He  would  be  a 
powerful  Prince,  and  the  people  believed  He  would  drive  out 
the  Romans,  and  be  their  king  forever.     Now  Jesus  of  Naza- 


lO  THE    CHRIST. 

reth  would  indeed  be  the  Christ,  but  a  very  different  kind  of 
one  from  what  the  people  expected,  and  He  would  indeed 
found  a  kingdom,  but  not  such  as  they  longed  for.  He 
would  not  fight,  nor  resist  the  Romans,  nor  sit  on  a  throne, 
nor  wear  a  crown.  The  Kingdom  which  He  would  found 
would  not  be  one  of  cities,  armies,  and  power,  but  a  Kingdom 
of  Heaven  in  the  world,  of  goodness,  joy,  and  peace  in  the 
hearts  of  men,  women,  and  little  children — a  kingdom  which 
cannot  be  seen,  for  it  is  within  us.  Thou  wilt  remember 
then,  that  the  words  Messiah,  Anointed  One,  King  of  Israel, 
Son  of  King  David,  Son  of  Man,  Son  of  God,  Lamb  of  God, 
The  Lord,  Emmanuel,  Prince  of  Life,  Prince  of  Peace,  and 
the  Christ  are  all  different  beautiful  names  in  the  Bible  for 
Jesus.  And  thou  wilt  understand  the  great  joy  of  Mary  now, 
and  of  Elisabeth,  and  the  shepherds,  and  John  the  Baptist, 
and  many  others  hereafter,  when  they  heard  that  Jesus,  the 
Christ !  after  so  many  years  of  weary  waiting,  and  so  many 
false  hopes,  had  come  at  last. 

Mary  told  no  one  of  the  angel's  visit,  but  day  after  day  she 
pondered  over  his  wonderful  words.  Something  within  her 
said  that  they  were  true,  and  she  rejoiced  that  she  should  be 
the  mother  of  Jesus,  the  Christ,  who,  she  had  been  taught,  would 
be  the  Deliverer  of  her  people.  She  also  remembered  what 
the  angel  had  said  about  Ehsabeth,  and  thought  that,  perhaps, 
he  intended  her  to  go  and  see  Ehsabeth,  and  she  resolved  to 
go  and  tell  her  everything.  She  was  a  brave  maiden,  for  she 
was  not  long  afraid  of  the  great  angel,  nor  of  the  message 
from  God,  and  now  she  was  about  to  go  on  a  long  journey 
alone,  and  she  resolved  not  to  tell  anyone  why  she  was  going 
from  home. 

Hebron,  where  Elisabeth  lived,  was  about  eighty  miles 
away,  at  fhe  other  end  of  the  country,  among  the  bare,  yellow 
hills  of  Judea,  and  it  would  take  more  than  four  days  for 
Mary  to  reach  it.  But  she  knew  the  road,  having  walked  it 
before,  and  trusted  that  God  and  His  angels  would  protect 
her.  With  young  brave  heart,  she  left  her  mother's  house  and 
dear  Joseph,  and  started  on  her  journey,  hastening  through 


ELISABETH    AND    JOHN.  I  I 

flowery  valleys,  across  rushing  streams,  over  dusty  roads,  and 
grassy  hills,  for  it  was  early  Summer.  First,  down  her  own 
valley  of  Nazareth,  then  by  pathways  through  the  great  fruitful 
plains  below,  on  towards  the  deep  white  river  Jordan,  now 
climbing  into  higher  ground,  now  going  down  into  thickly 
wooded  gorges,  now  walking  with  other  travellers,  now  walking 
alone,  till  on  the  fourth  day,  she  passed  the  great  city  of 
Jerusalem,  which  she  knew  well,  and  went  on  and  up,  among 
the  wild  Hebron  Hills.  What  a  walk  for  one  so  young,  gentle, 
and  beautiful ! 

At  length,  tired  and  joyful,  she  reached  Elisabeth's  home, 
in  a  sheltered  vale,  and  was  welcomed  with  a  kiss.  It  was  a 
fine  house,  for  Elisabeth  was  of  high  family,  and  was  married 
to  Zacharias,  a  priest  in  the  great  golden  Temple  at  Jerusalem, 
and  her  husband  and  she  were  old,  and  had  no  children. 
Elisabeth  bathed  Mary's  feet  with  cool  water,  washed  her 
face  and  hands,  dressed  her  hair,  and  gave  her  food,  while 
Mary  told  the  old  people  how  their  friends  at  Nazareth  were. 

As  soon  as  Elisabeth  and  she  were  alone,  Mary  told  her 
everything  about  the  angel's  visit,  and  when  Elisabeth  heard 
her  story,  it  so  agreed  with  what  she  knew  already,  and  with 
what  she  had  read  and  been  taught  about  the  coming  of  the 
Christ  that  was  to  deliver  their  nation,  that  she  exclaimed 
joyfully — 

"  Thou  art  blessed  among  women  ! "  and  rejoiced  greatly 
at  the  good  news.  She  also  told  Mary  that  what  the  angel 
Gabriel  had  said  about  her  having  a  child  was  true,  for  the 
angel  had  also  appeared  to  her  husband  Zacharias,  and  again 
she  rejoiced,  saying  she  was  not  worthy  that  the  mother  of 
Jesus  should  come  to  visit  her ;  and  Mary  answered,  rejoicing 
also,  for  their  hearts  were  full  of  gratitude  for  the  angel's 
message. 

Now  I  wish  thee  to  remember  the  obedience  and  fearless- 
ness of  Mary,  which  showed  that  she  was  good  and  trustful. 
Just  such  an  one  as  thou  wilt  try  to  be. 


12  HIS    father's    dream. 


HIS   FATHER'S   DREAM. 

NAZARETH,  SUMMER,  B.C.  I. 


Mary  stayed  three  months  with  Elisabeth  at  Hebron  till 
Spring  had  passed  into  full  Summer,  and  the  narrow  valleys 
between  the  hills,  once  red  as  fire  with  anemones,  were  yellow 
with  withered  grass,  and  the  vines  were  budding  on  the  sunny 
slopes. 

Ehsabeth  was  old  and  quiet,  and  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit 
of  goodness,  and  she  knew  more  than  young  Mary  did.  She 
knew  that  Mary  had  a  noble  life  before  her,  of  great  joys  and 
great  griefs ;  and  they  spent  day  after  day  quietly  together, 
preparing  each  other  for  the  time  when  their  little  sons  Jesus 
and  John  would  be  born.  A  strange  pair,  the  old  white-haired 
thin-faced  Elisabeth,  and  Mary,  young,  red-cheeked,  learning 
the  wisdom  of  life  from  her.  When  at  length  she  left  Elisabeth, 
Mary  returned  to  Nazareth,  alone  as  she  had  come,  thinking,  as 
she  went,  that  part  of  the  angel's  message  had  already  come 
true.  But  she  told  no  other  one  of  the  angel's  visit ;  not  even 
Joseph,  but  prayed  to  God,  and  felt  that  it  was  her  duty  to 
tell  no  one.  So  she  resumed  her  quiet  village  Hfe,  doing 
her  mother's  bidding,  and  preparing  for  her  marriage,  for 
Joseph  and  she  were  betrothed,  that  is  they  had  promised  to 
marry  each  other, 

Now  a  betrothal  in  Nazareth  was  almost  as  binding  as  a 
marriage.  It  took  place  solemnly  before  friends  in  the  house 
of  the  young  girl's  mother.  Joseph  would  hold  out  a  penny 
to  Mary,  saying,  "  I  betroth  thee  to  myself,"  to  which  she 
would  reply,  by  taking  the  money,  and  agreeing  to  marry  him, 
then  perhaps  they  would  both  sign  a  paper,  and  though  they 
did  not  yet  live  together,  they  were  bound  to  each  other  in  a 
way  that  could  not  easily  be  broken. 

About  a  month  after  Mary  returned  from  Hebron,  Elisa- 
beth's little  son  was  born,  and  she  called  him  John,  as  the 
angel  had  said.  A  few  months  more  and  Mary's  wedding  was 
drawing  near,  but  she  had  not  told  Joseph  yet  of  the  angel's 


CALL    HIM    JESUS.  •  1 3 

message.  Some  one  whispered  to  him  however  that  his  be- 
trothed was  about  to  have  a  child.  He  did  not  beheve  it, 
and  spoke  to  Mary,  who  then  told  him  everything,  and  he 
was  so  vexed  and  astonished  that  he  did  not  know  what  to 
think.  He  had  never  heard  of  such  a  thing,  and  with  a  sad 
heart,  he  began  to  wonder  whether  Mary  was  trying  to  deceive 
him,  and  had  done  a  wrong  thing  for  which  the  law  said  she 
might  be  put  to  death.  He  was  a  good  man,  and  was  filled 
with  sorrow  when  he  thought  that  perhaps  Mary  was  not  the 
loving  maiden  he  had  believed  her  to  be.  Perhaps  she  or 
her  mother  had  made  up  the  story  about  the  great  angel,  in 
order  to  hide  her  fault?  Joseph  could  not  tell,  but,  deeply 
as  he  loved  Mary,  he  felt  that  he  ought  not  to  marry  her  now, 
still  he  could  not  bear  to  think  of  her  being  openly  disgraced 
and  perhaps  punished ;  so  he  resolved  to  keep  Mary's  secret, 
and  privately  break  off  their  betrothal,  telling  no  one  the 
reason.  And  who  can  tell  how  grieved  was  Mary's  heart 
during  these  sorrowful  days  of  Joseph's  estrangement  from 
her.  Day  after  day  went  sadly  past.  He  missed  Mary's 
bright  face  and  gentle  voice  from  his  workshop,  and  he  met 
her  no  more  in  the  fields  at  eventide,  but  he  could  not  bring 
himself  to  do  the  thing  that  would  ruin  her  hfe ;  and  so  he 
waited  on. 

One  night  as  he  lay,  wearied  with  his  day's  toil,  asleep 
and  dreaming  of  her  whose  soft  brown  eyes  seemed  bent 
on  him  in  silent  pleading ;  the  dream  changed.  Mary's 
face  faded  away  in  a  golden  vision.  The  room  seemed  filled 
with  light,  and  an  angel  with  shining  wings  stood  beside 
him. 

"  Joseph,"  the  angel  said,  "  be  not  afraid  to  take  Mary  to 
be  thy  wife,  for  her  Son  is  from  God,"  and  seeing  a  glad  smile 
pass  over  the  sleeper's  face,  the  angel  added,  "Thou  shalt 
call  the  Child's  name  JESUS,  for  He  shall  save  His  people 
from  wickedness."  And  having  given  this  message,  the  angel 
departed,  the  dream  ended,  and  Joseph  awoke,  and  there  was 
no  one  in  his  little  dark  room. 

He  did  not  doubt  that  his  beautiful  dream  was  a  message  from 


14  THE    RIDE    TO    BETHLEHEM. 

God,  and  that  the  angel  was  the  same  as  had  appeared  to  Mary, 
and  the  message  filled  him  with  joy,  for  it  restored  his  beloved 
one  to  him,  and  raised  her  to  the  highest  place  among  women. 
He  rose  very  early  in  the  morning,  and  the  sun  never  shone 
so  brightly,  nor  did  the  birds  sing  so  sweetly,  nor  was  his  heart 
ever  more  joyful  than  when  he  hastened  through  the  village 
to  find  Mary,  and  tell  her  that  he  now  believed  every  word  of 
her  story,  and  that  they  must  never  be  parted.  He  would  beg 
her  to  forgive  him  for  ever  doubting  her,  and  thou  canst  see 
the  warm  blush  of  joy  on  Mary's  cheek,  as,  with  a  kiss  of  silent 
welcome,  she  tells  Joseph  she  has  no  fears  now.  And  so  they 
walked  together  again  through  the  Summer  fields  around 
Nazareth,  talking  in  loving  whispers  of  the  wonderful  mes- 
sages of  the  angel,  and  of  their  happy  marriage,  which  would 
soon  be  now. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  to  admire  and  love  Joseph  for 
the  kind  way  he  treated  Mary,  when  he  was  in  trouble  and 
doubt  as  to  whether  the  story  she  had  told  him  was  true. 


THE   RIDE   TO   BETHLEHEM. 

NAZARETH,  AUTUMN,   B.C.    I. 

Mary's  first  trial  was  over.  The  barley  fields  were  reaped 
in  the  plains,  the  purple  grapes  plucked  and  pressed,  and  the 
ripe  red  arples  and  dark  green  olives  shaken  from  their 
branches.  For  Summer  had  passed  into  Autumn".  Mary's 
wedding  day  had  come,  and  she  would  be  about  fifteen, 
for  women  grow  up  much  sooner  in  that  country  than  in 
England. 

Now  a  marriage  in  Nazareth  was  a  time  of  great  rejoicing, 
when  children  shouted,  and  youths  and  maidens  danced, 
played,  and  sang.  Mary  would  be  married  in  Joseph's 
father's  house,  whither,  by  her  young  companions,  she  was 
brought  from  her  mother's,  all  dressed  in  white,  and  decked 
with  fragrant  flowers  and  wearing  her  best  ornaments,  a  wreath 
of  green  myrtle  leaves  upon  her  head,  and  her  lovely  brown 


A    MARRIAGE    AT    NAZARETH.  1 5 

hair  unbound  and  hanging  loose,  but  hidden  from  sight  by  a 
fine  white  veil  that  covered  her  from  head  to  foot.  She  would 
come  at  night,  her  path  lit  by  torches  and  lanterns  on  poles, 
young  girls  surrounding  her,  dancing  and  singing  her  praises 
to  the  music  of  flutes,  timbrels,  castanets,  and  the  drums  and 
triangles  of  the  young  men,  while  the  village  people  looked  on 
at  the  bridal  procession  of  the  fairest  and  best  of  maidens. 
The  house  where  their  friends  met  to  see  the  wedding  was 
garlanded  with  leaves  and  bunches  of  fresh  flowers.  The 
ceremony  was  simple.  Before  them  all,  they  took  each  other 
as  husband  and  wife,  Joseph  promising  to  work  for  Mary  and 
honour  her ;  then  their  young  friends  showered  flowers  upon 
them  as  they  signed  a  marriage  paper,  and  sat  down  side  by 
side  to  a  merry  wedding- feast. 

After  a  week  of  dancing,  feasting,  and  rejoicing,  Joseph  took 
Mary  away  to  the  quiet  little  house  in  the  village  which  was  to 
be  her  new  home.  They  spent  the  beautiful  Autumn  quietly 
in  Nazareth,  and  when  the  Winter  time  came  they  had  to  go 
upon  a  journey  to  a  litde  town  called  Bethlehem,  near  to  where 
Elisabeth  lived,  and  while  they  only  intended  to  be  away  for 
a  few  weeks  :  they  did  not  return  for  months.  They  were 
compelled  with  many  other  people  to  take  this  journey,  for 
the  country  had  been  conquered  by  the  Romans,  and  the 
Emperor  Caesar  Augustus,  who  wished  to  know  how  many 
people  there  were,  had  ordered  every  man  to  be  counted. 
As  Joseph  belonged  to  Bethlehem,  he  had  to  give  in  his 
name  there  by  the  command  of  the  Jewish  King  Herod,  and 
he  took  Mary  with  him,  not  caring  to  be  parted  from  her  so 
soon. 

Bethlehem  was  seventy  miles  off,  and  it  took  four  days  to 
go,  and  as  Mary  could  not  walk  so  far,  Joseph  got  a  little 
shaggy  ass  for  her  to  ride  on.  They  started  early  on  a  Decem- 
ber morning,  when  the  trees  were  bare,  and  shaken  with  cold 
winds,  and  the  brooks  white  with  dashing  water.  Joseph,  tall 
and  strong,  with  his  rough  blue  cloak  over  his  shoulder  and 
dark  red  kerchief  on  his  head,  guided  the  ass  with  one  hand, 
while  with  the  other  he  held  Mary  on  its  back,  as  it  went 


1 6  THE    JOURNEY. 

halting  and  picking  its  steps  slowly  down  the  slippery  path  and 
stony  watercourse  of  the  vale  that  widened  out  into  the  plain 
below ;  and  soon  the  white  houses  of  the  village  were  hidden 
from  sight,  as  Joseph  led  the  way  over  turf,  stones,  and  earth, 
through  the  field-paths  to  the  common  road  across  the  great 
plain  of  Esdraelon.  At  the  brass-mounted  saddle  hung  a  bag 
of  clothing  and  provisions,  and  on  the  other  side  a  leather 
skin  of  water  from  the  spring,  while  the  bridle  and  trappings 
were  gay  with  a  fringe  of  knotted  and  coloured  cords  that 
hung  over  the  ass's  nose,  with  perhaps  a  red  or  yellow  tassel, 
made  by  Mary's  own  hands,  hanging  under  its  neck. 

As  they  went  through  the  fields  on  the  level  plain  of 
Esdraelon,  they  saw  the  rich  soil  being  ploughed  up  with 
wooden  ploughs  and  slow  oxen,  and  the  seed  cast  in  by  the 
people  from  the  small  villages  of  white  houses,  of  which  there 
were  a  great  number.  Behind  them  were  the  wooded  hills  of 
Galilee,  with  Mount  Tabor  towering  above  the  plain  covered 
with  trees  to  its  rounded  top;  before  them  the  Carmel 
range  and  the  dim  blue  hills  of  Samaria.  Joseph  would  take 
the  easier  but  longer  road  down  by  the  Jordan  river,  across 
and  along  its  Eastern  bank,  recrossing  at  the  fords,  and  passing 
through  the  rose  gardens  and  orchards  of  Jericho.  It  was 
their  first  trip  from  home  together,  and  he  would  take  care 
not  to  expose  Mary  to  the  cutting  winds  on  the  hill-tops,  nor 
bring  the  little  ass  to  streams  too  deep  to  wade  across.  From 
the  high  ridges  he  would  point  out  the  scenes  below,  and  tell 
her  the  names  of  the  hills,  towns,  and  villages ;  and  in  the 
hollows  she  would  dismount,  and  they  would  rest  and  take 
food,  while  the  ass  cropped  the  grass.  They  had  plenty  of 
company,  for  thousands  of  people  were  moving  about  the 
country,  like  themselves,  going  to  be  counted. 

By  day  they  walked  steadily  on,  and  at  night  they  slept  in 
some  friendly  house,  for  the  people  thought  it  wicked  not  to 
take  travellers  in  at  night.  On  the  fourth  day  they  passed  Jeru- 
salem, the  greatest  city  in  that  country,  and  went  on  towards 
Bethlehem,  among  the  hills,  six  miles  along  the  Hebron  road. 
The  way  then  grew  more  uneven,  winding  along  hillsides,  and 


BETHLEHEM.  1 7 

ever  getting  higher,  till  at  length  they  saw  the  low  houses  and 
white  walls  of  Bethlehem,  upon  the  top  of  a  hill  some  way  off. 
All  around  them  were  hills  and  valleys,  with  plenty  of  grass  for 
sheep,  and  trees  by  the  streams,  while  the  hillsides  near  Beth- 
lehem were  covered  with  vine  terraces  and  gardens  of  pome- 
granates, figs,  apples,  with  walls  round  them  and  watch-towers 
at  the  corners.  The  path  was  steep  and  rocky  from  the  plains 
below  to  the  walls  of  the  village ;  but  after  a  slow  and  hard 
climb,  they  passed  under  the  stone  arch  of  the  gateway,  with 
its  square  tower  built  over  it,  and  were  in  Joseph's  own  village, 
from  the  walls  of  which  they  looked  over  a  country  of  many 
white  and  grey  hills,  with  spots  of  green  between,  the  view  ex- 
tending down  to  the  Philistine  plains  by  the  sea  on  one  side, 
and  on  the  other  side  down  the  gorges  to  the  Dead  Sea,  with 
its  red  granite  hills  at  the  edge,  and  the  great  blue  mountains 
of  Moab  beyond. 

Thus  far,  all  had  gone  well,  although  it  was  hard  and  even 
dangerous  to  travel  such  roads  in  Winter.  But  the  village  was 
crowded  with  strangers,  who  had  also  come  to  be  counted, 
and  when  Joseph  went  to  the  friend's  house  with  whom  he  in- 
tended to  stay,  he  found  it  already  full.  He  went  to  another 
and  another,  but  they  were  also  full,  and  as  Mary  was  very 
tired,  he  resolved  to  search  no  more,  but  go  to  the  village 
inn.  Leading  the  ass  with  drooping  head  through  the  stony 
streets,  at  length  they  reached  the  inn,  only  to  find  it  full  also. 
It  was  a  poor  and  comfortless  place,  a  few  low-roofed  houses 
built  round  a  square  that  was  open  to  the  sky,  with  a  pool  of 
water  in  the  middle  for  the  animals  to  drink  at,  and  all  that 
strangers  could  get  there  was  water  for  the  beasts  and  a  place 
to  sleep  in.  Entering  by  the  low  archway,  Joseph  found  the 
open  square  filled  with  long-necked  camels,  horses,  asses,  goats, 
with  their  loads  and  saddles  lying  about,  and  men  and  dogs 
going  to  and  fro ;  but  they  were  so  tired  that,  having  got  in, 
he  resolved  to  sleep  in  any  corner  he  could  get  for  the  night, 
rather  than  walk  any  more  about  the  streets.  There  were 
places  for  the  horses  round  the  square,  some  built  of  stone, 
some  only  shallow  caves  cut  out  of  the  soft  limestone  rock, 


1 8  THE    angels'    song. 

and  finding  an  empty  stall  in  one  of  these  cave-stables,  thither 
he  led  the  ass  with  Mary,  to  get  them  out  of  the  confusion 
of  the  crowd. 

Darkness  was  now  coming  on,  and  they  had  to  make  the 
best  of  the  place  they  were  in  for  one  night,  hoping  to  get 
into  a  friend's  house  in  the  morning.  An  open  stall  in  a 
crowded  public  inn,  how  different  from  Mary's  little  home  at 
Nazareth  !  No  doubt  Joseph  got  straw  and  mats,  and  made  it 
as  comfortable  as  he  could,  hanging  a  large  mat  over  the  door- 
way to  keep  the  cold  wind  out ;  but  as  the  dark-faced  men 
looked  in  on  their  way  past,  they  thought  it  a  strange  place 
for  one  so  gentle  and  beautiful  as  Mary  to  lodge  in.  And 
so  the  ass  was  tied  close  by,  and  amid  the  sound  of  men's 
voices,  jingling  camel-bells,  trampling  of  feet  on  the  pavement, 
and  yelping  ofdog^Miffy^d  Joseph  prepared  to  spend  their 
first  night  in  Bethlehem. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  that  Joseph  had  come  to  Bethle- 
hem to  be  counted,  and  that  they  had  to  lodge  in  a  stable, 
not  because  they  were  so  poor,  but  because  the  village  inn  was 
full. 


THE   ANGELS'   SONG. 

BETHLEHEM,  WINTER,  B.C.    I. 

And  that  very  night  Jesus  was  born  !  In  a  stable  in  the 
month  of  December,  among  straw,  and  with  animals  near. 
And  Mary  took  her  little  child  and  wrapped  Him  in  baby 
clothes,  and  laid  Him  softly  in  a  manger — a  little  box  out  of 
which  horses  eat — which  served  for  His  first  cradle.  And 
Joseph  had  more  mats  put  up  to  keep  away  the  cold,  and  a 
little  lamp  hung  upon  a  string,  that  those  who  came  might  see 
their  way. 

Out  in  the  starry  night  a  band  of  shepherds  watched  their 
sheep  on  the  green  plains  below  Bethlehem  ;  hardy  men,  who 
had  to  guard  their  flocks,  for  they  were  near  a  desert  where 
there  were  wild  animals.     In  that  country  shepherds  think 


THE    SHEPHERDS    ON    THE    PLAINS.  1 9 

nothing  of  being  out  all  night  if  the  weather  be  good,  for  the 
sky  is  of  a  rich  blue  with  great  silvery  stars  that  sparkle  and 
throb,  and  a  moon  clearer  and  brighter  than  ever  it  is  in 
England,  so  that  things  can  be  seen  afar  off.  The  night  was 
fine,  and  the  shepherds  took  turn  about  of  keeping  awake  and 
watching  with  their  faithful  dogs,  that  no  sneaking  wolf  nor 
shrieking  hyena  should  catch  their  lambs  ;  for  there  were  wild 
wooded  gorges  near,  where  these  animals  lived.  On  these 
plains,  long  ago,  King  David,  while  yet  a  youth,  had  slain  a 
bear  and  a  lion  that  attacked  his  father's  sheep.  The  shep- 
herds loved  their  sheep,  and  even  yet  in  that  country,  when  the 
time  comes  for  the  sheep  to  go  home,  the  shepherd-boy  does 
not  set  his  dog  barking  at  them,  but  taking  out  a  little  whistle- 
pipe,  he  blows  a  few  shrill  funny  notes,  and  over  hillock  and 
rock  the  sheep  come  bounding  and  follow  him  away. 

The  clothing  of  these  shepherds  was  of  coarse  cloth,  some 
having  warm  coats  made  of  sheepskin  with  the  wool  inside, 
and  on  their  heads  were  bright-coloured  kerchiefs  that 
scarcely  hid  their  tangled  hair;  and  they  had  large  loose 
cloaks  that  they  could  wrap  round  them  and  sleep  in.  The 
night  was  chilly,  and  as  they  sat  round  the  fire  which  they 
had  lighted  to  scare  wild  animals  away,  the  silence  of  the  wide 
plains  was  broken  only  by  the  bleating  of  the  sheep  close  by, 
or  the  howling  of  a  distant  wolf,  the  clear  stars  quivered  and 
flashed,  and  the  moon  shone  like  a  bow  of  crystal  in  the  blue ; 
when  suddenly  one  of  the  shepherds,  who  had  been  looking 
at  the  sky,  uttered  a  cry  of  surprise,  and  springing  to  his  feet 
stood  pointing  upward.  And  soon  they  were  all  standing 
gazing  at  the  figure  of  a  beautiful  angel  that,  with  wide  out- 
stretched wings,  came  swiftly  down  the  skies,  making  all  light 
around  him.  He  was  coming  towards  Bethlehem,  towards  the 
plains  !  towards  them  !  and  then  he  came  so  near  that  they 
could  not  look  upon  his  brightness,  but  they  knew  that  he 
was  standing  on  the  grass  beside  them,  for  a  golden  glory 
from  Heaven  shone  round  about  them. 

"  Be  not  afraid,"  the  angel  said,  "  for  I  bring  you  good 
tidings  of  great  joy,  to  all  people.     Jesus,  the  Christ,  is  born 


20  A    BAND    OF    ANGELS. 

to-day  in  Bethlehem  !  and  this  is  how  you  will  know  Him. 
You  will  find  Him,  a  Httle  Child,  wrapped  in  baby  clothes, 
and  lying  in  a  manger,"  And,  as  he  spoke,  his  face  shone, 
for  this  was  the  most  joyful  message  he  had  ever  carried. 

They  had  never  seen  such  a  shining  form,  nor  heard  so 
sweet  a  voice,  and  were  filled  with  amazement  that  such  a 
lovely  being  should  give  this  glorious  message  to  rough  men 
like  them.  But  he  had  scarcely  ceased,  when  they  heard 
the  sweetest  music  in  the  air  that  has  ever  come  to  earth,  like 
the  singing  of  a  multitude  of  voices,  faint  and  far  away,  and 
looking  up  they  saw  a  host  of  angels,  more  than  they  could 
count,  floating  through  the  stars,  down,  down  towards  the 
green  earth,  with  white  robes  trailing,  and  shining  wings  out- 
spread, and  it  was  from  them  that  the  singing  came.  As  they 
passed  down  into  the  open  blue  sky  above  the  hills,  the  shep- 
herds saw  how  lovely  were  their  shapes,  and  listening  in 
perfect  silence  they  heard  them  singing,  and  singing  again 
these  beautiful  words — 

*'  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  o?i  earth  peace,  good-will 
toward  ?fie?i  I  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace, 
good-will  toward  7?ieti  /  "  Words  which  have  been  sung  by 
many  angel  children  on  many  a  Christmas  Eve  since  then. 

The  shepherds  had  never  seen  such  a  glorious  sight,  nor 
heard  such  sweet  and  thrilling  music.  The  angels  passed  over 
the  towers  and  roofs  of  sleeping  Bethlehem,  and  along  the  sky, 
and  as  they  floated  over  their  heads  the  whole  air  and  earth 
seemed 'filled  with  the  sound  of  their  pure  voices,  and  the 
plains  were  flooded  with  golden  light  as  if  a  window  in  Heaven 
had  been  opened  over  them.  They  watched  the  trail  of  their 
white  robes,  and  saw  their  joyful  faces,  and  heard  the  beat  of 
their  great  soft  wings,  but  they  did  not  touch  the  plains,  as 
the  shepherds  expected,  but  leaving  the  earth,  they  rose  again 
above  the  dark  hills  into  the  blue  sky,  passing  through  the 
throbbing  stars,  a  milky  way  of  angels  beating  their  way  up- 
ward towards  the  golden  gates,  the  music  of  their  voices 
sounding  fainter  and  fainter,  now  heard,  now  lost  on  the 
night  wind,  until  their  bright  trail  faded  among  the  lights  of 


JESUS    BORN.  21 

Heaven,  and  the  music  died  away.  The  shepherds  turned  to 
the  angel,  but  he  was  gone.  Spreading  his  shining  wings  he 
had  joined  the  bright  throng  unnoticed  as  they  gazed,  and 
there  was  nothing  but  dewy  grass  and  rosy  daisies  where  his 
feet  had  been. 

If  thou  wouldst  remember  this  scene,  learn  to  sing  the 
beautiful  hymn  which  says — 

"  It  came  upon  the  midnight  clear, 

That  glorious  song  of  old, 
From  angels  bending  o'er  the  earth, 

To  touch  their  harps  of  gold; 
Peace  be  on  earth,  good-will  to  men, 

And  glory  to  Heaven's  King, 
And  the  world  in  solemn  silence  lay, 

To  hear  the  angels  sing." 

And  when  thou  hearest  songs  in  the  night  time  at  Christmas- 
tide,  think  of  the  shepherds  out  on  the  plains  and  of  the 
angels'  song,  and  say  these  words  over  and  over  again  to 
thyself,  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace, 
good- will  toward  men." 

JESUS   BORN. 

BETHLEHEM,   CHRISTMAS,  B.C.    I. 

When  the  shepherds  on  the  plains  recovered  from  their 
astonishment,  they  looked  up  to  Bethlehem  on  the  hill,  and 
the  moon  was  beaming  from  the  blue  sky  overhead,  and 
shining  on  the  white  houses,  and  flooding  the  streets  with 
silver,  and  they  talked  excitedly  together.  Did  the  angel 
mean  them  to  go  and  see  this  wonderful  Child  of  whom  he 
spoke?  Was  it  all  a  beautiful  dream?  But  each  had  heard 
and  seen  the  same  things,  so  that  it  could  not  be  a  dream. 
Now,  as  thou  knowest,  the  people  were  expecting  the  Christ 
the  Deliverer  of  their  nation  to  come  about  this  time,  and 
that  He  would  be  born  in  Bethlehem,  and  these  shepherds 
wondered  with  suppressed  joy  whether  it  could  really  be  true 
that  the  Christ  had  come  at   last.      After  talking   together, 


22  THE    BABE    IN    THE    MANGER. 

they  settled  that  as  many  as  could  be  spared  should  go  up  to 
the  village  and  see  whether  there  was  a  babe  in  a  manger 
there,  for  the  angel  had  said  that  this  would  be  the  sign  that 
it  was  indeed  Jesus  the  Christ. 

Leaving  one  or  two  to  watch  the  sheep  until  morning,  they 
hastened  across  the  grassy  plains,  through  the  fields  and 
gardens,  and  climbing  the  rugged  pathway  were  soon  close  to 
the  white  walls  of  the  village.  The  gates  were  shut  and  all 
was  silent,  but  they  roused  the  sleeping  watchman  by  their 
loud  knocking,  who  looked  at  them  drowsily  from  his  strong 
tower  on  the  wall,  and  recognising  the  shepherds,  came  down 
and  opened  the  gate.  With  a  short  greeting  they  hurried  on 
up  the  main  street,  for,  guessing  that  the  angel  meant  the 
large  stable  of  the  public  inn,  the  principal  stable  in  the 
village,  they  went  to  it. 

A  lamp  hanging  from  a  rope  stretched  across  the  open  arch- 
way showed  them  the  square  within,  where  the  animals  were 
resting,  kneeling  and  lying  on  the  ground.  Going  through 
this  stone  arch,  they  looked  about  them  and  saw  a  dim  hght 
burning  in  one  of  the  side  stables  cut  out  of  the  rock,  but  they 
could  not  see  who  were  in  it  for  a  curtain  at  the  entrance. 
Whispering  together  and  making  as  little  noise  as  possible, 
with  beating  hearts  they  went  towards  it.  They  were  almost 
afraid  to  look  in,  for  they  expected  to  see  a  glorious  child, 
with  angels  bending  over  him. 

Drawi-  g  near  on  tiptoe,  one  of  them  gently  and  silently 
held  the  curtain  to  one  side,  while  they  all  came  close  to  look. 
And  what  did  they  see  ?  A  beautiful  young  maiden  lying  on 
a  rude  couch  of  straw,  and  a  strong  young  countryman  watch- 
ing beside  her.  This  was  not  what  they  expected.  In  eager 
whispers  they  asked  Joseph  and  Mary,  who  were  startled  on 
seeing  their  dark  faces  peering  in,  whether  there  was  a  babe 
there.  Joseph  pointed  to  the  manger  close  beside  Mary, 
and  beckoned  to  them  to  come  in.  With  noiseless  feet  they 
stepped  upon  the  raised  stone  floor  of  the  stall,  and  soon,  by 
the  light  of  a  httle  rush-lamp  that  burned  near,  these  dusky- 
faced  men,  some  kneeling,  some  bending,  gazed  with  wonder 


THE    SHEPHERDS     JOY.  23 

and  awe  upon  the  rosy  face  of  the  sleeping  Jesus,  and  they 
could  scarce  draw  their  breath  as  they  thought  that  there 
lay  the  Christ,  the  hope  of  their  nation  of  whom  the  herald 
angels  sung,  sleeping  like  a  mortal  child. 

In  whispers  and  with  gestures,  their  excited  faces,  their 
flashing  eyes  and  strange  rough  coats  but  dimly  seen  in  the 
lamplight,  they  told  Joseph  what  they  had  heard  and  seen  out 
on  the  plains,  repeating  the  words  of  the  angel's  message. 
Mary,  who  was  frightened  at  first  by  their  coming,  now  knew 
that  they  too  had  seen  messengers  from  Heaven,  and  was 
glad  when  she  thought  that  the  beautiful  angels  were  rejoicing 
over  the  birth  of  her  Child. 

When  the  shepherds  withdrew  into  the  courtyard,  they  told 
Joseph  the  whole  story  over  again  of  the  wonderful  vision  of 
angels,  and  of  their  message  ;  and  the  people  in  the  court, 
attracted  by  their  strange  behaviour,  came  to  listen,  and  also 
went  and  looked  at  the  sleeping  Child,  and  long  before  day- 
light all  in  the  inn  knew  the  shepherds'  story  and  wondered 
at  it.  The  shepherds  did  not  wait  in  Bethlehem,  but  went 
away,  shouting  as  they  went — "  The  Christ  has  come,  praise 
be  to  God  !  "  making  the  streets  echo  with  their  shouts  in 
the  early  morning,  and  sleepers  awake  to  wonder  what  they 
meant,  as  they  returned  rejoicing  on  their  way  out  to  the  plains 
to  tell  their  companions. 

And  that  day  many  strange  faces  bent  over  the  little 
Child  Jesus  as  He  lay  in  His  strange  cradle ;  some  to  shake 
their  doubtful  heads  as  to  whether  He  could  be  the  Christ, 
others  to  whisper  a  prayer,  and  many  to  speak  kind  words  to 
the  sweet  young  mother.  And  what  did  Mary  think?  It 
was  now  almost  a  year  since  the  great  angel  had  come  with 
the  message  to  her,  but  she  had  not  forgotten  one  word,  and 
the  shepherds  had  repeated  much  of  what  the  angel  had  said ; 
and  now  that  she  held  the  promised  Babe  in  her  arms  and 
could  see  Him  smile,  she  felt,  with  a  rapture  of  joy,  that  she 
was  indeed  the  most  highly  favoured  among  women.  As  thou 
knowest,  she  was  a  silent,  thoughtful  maiden,  and  everything 
that  happened,  and  all  the  heavenly  messages,  and  all  that  the 


24  A    JEWELLED    CAVE. 

people  said  and  did  at  this  time,  she  laid  by  in  her  memory, 
and  when  she  was  alone  with  her  Child,  she  looked  into  His 
beautiful  face  and  pondered  over  these  things. 

People  who  go  to  Bethlehem  now-a-days  are  shown  a  cave 
in  the  rock,  which  is  said  to  be  the  very  cave  in  which  Jesus 
was  born;  and  while  it  may  not  be  the  exact  place,  it  is 
perhaps  near  it,  and  for  hundreds  of  years  men  have  sur- 
rounded it  with  every  mark  of  tenderness  and  love,  and  all  for 
Jesus'  sake.  It  is  at  the  end  of  the  village  nearest  to  Naza- 
reth, and  people  can  see  the  spot  from  a  distance,  for  there  is 
a  splendid  church  built  over  it,  standing  out  upon  a  rocky 
part  of  the  hill  whence  a  view  is  had  of  the  shepherds'  grassy 
plains  below. 

To  reach  this  cave  thou  wouldst  have  to  enter  the  beautiful 
church  and  walk  over  its  polished  pavement  floor,  and  be- 
tween its  marble  pillars,  with  the  light  falling  softly  upon  thee 
from  the  richly-coloured  windows.  A  solemn  monk,  with 
white  beard  and  long  robe,  would  meet  thee  and  take  thee 
to  a  low  door  in  a  side  wall,  at  the  entrance  of  which  thou 
wouldst  see  a  white  marble  star  in  the  pavement  pointing  thee 
to  the  door.  Going  through  that  door,  thou  wouldst  find 
fifteen  marble  steps  leading  down  to  the  wonderful  cave,  and 
he  would  tell  thee  that  this  was  the  place  thou  hadst  come  to 
see,  and  on  going  down  thou  wouldst  hear  distant  music 
sounding,  and  wouldst  find  thyself  in  a  cave  underground,  cut 
out  of  ti.j  white  hmestone  rock,  with  a  floor  of  black  marble, 
veined  with  red,  all  brilhantly  lighted  up  by  thirty-two  fragrant 
lamps  of  gold  and  silver  and  sparkling  crystal,  that  hang  with 
silver  chains  from  the  roof,  and  are  never  allowed  to  go  out 
by  night  or  by  day.  Looking  round,  thou  wouldst  not  be 
able  to  see  any  of  the  white  rock,  for  marble  of  all  colours 
with  which  the  walls  and  roof  are  covered,  and  for  pictures 
made  of  bright-coloured  stones  that  are  upon  the  walls,  and 
thou  wouldst  see  that  the  cave  was  about  the  size  of  a  long 
narrow  room,  13  yards  long  and  2  yards  wide,  with  a  low  roof, 
not  much  higher  than  a  tall  man.  Thy  dark-faced  guide 
would  then  take  thee  over  to  a  place  hollowed  out  in  the  wall, 


HIS    NAME.  25 

in  which  small  hollow  a  number  of  little  lamps  are  hung  by 
gold  chains,  and  there  thou  wouldst  see  a  magnificent  star 
of  silver,  precious  stones,  and  jewels,  set  in  the  pavement, 
shining  and  sparkling  under  these  lamps,  and  written  in 
Latin  round  this  star  are  these  words 

"Jesus  was  born  here  of  the  Virgin  Mary." 

And  thy  guide  would  tell  thee  that  this  was  the  very  stall  in 
which  Jesus  was  born.  He  would  then  take  thee  across  the 
cave  to  a  hollow  in  the  opposite  wall,  from  the  roof  of  which 
more  small  beautiful  lamps  are  hung,  lighting  up  a  pure  white 
marble  manger,  shaped  like  a  cradle,  and  he  would  tell  thee 
that  on  this  spot  stood  the  manger  in  which  Mary  laid  Jesus. 
Before  the  marble  manger  burn  two  small  fires  that  are  never 
allowed  to  go  out,  called  incense  fires,  the  smoke  of  which  fills 
the  cave  with  heavy  fragrance. 

The  monk  would  also  take  thee  to  other  parts  and  show  thee 
other  strange  things,  but  thou  wouldst  be  more  interested  in 
seeing  the  men  with  foreign  looks  and  strange  bright-hued 
dresses,  who  come  down  the  white  marble  steps  and  fall  upon 
their  faces  before  the  silver  star  or  the  marble  manger,  and 
with  prayers  and  sighs  kiss  the  pavement,  for  these  men  have 
travelled  hundreds  of  miles  to  pray  in  that  cave.  They  do 
not  doubt  that  Jesus  was  bom  there.  Perhaps  He  was, 
perhaps  He  was  not ;  I  think  very  likely  not,  and  would  not 
have  thee  trouble  thyself  much  about  it,  or  think  more  of  that 
cave  than  of  any  other  wonderful  sight.  The  thing  that  thou 
art  to  rejoice  in  is  that  Jesus  was  born,  and  that  thou  canst 
pray  to  Him  and  worship  Him  as  well  in  thine  own  little 
room,  or  on  the  open  hillside  as  in  that  jewelled  cave  in 
Bethlehem. 

HIS   NAME. 

JERUSALEM,  JANUARY,  A.D.    I. 

Every  little  child  in  that  country  had  a  name  given  to  it 
when  it  was  eight  days  old,  and  this  could  be  done  either  in 


26  JESUS,'  SAVIOUR. 

the  church  or  at  home  among  friends.  The  beautiful  angel 
said  to  His  father  and  mother,  "  Thou  shalt  call  Him  Jesus," 
so  that  they  had  no  trouble  in  choosing  His  name.  Taking 
Jesus  in  his  arms,  Joseph  would  tell  his  friends  what  His 
name  was  to  be,  and  when  they  asked  why  he  did  not  call 
Him  Joseph,  or  some  other  family  name,  he  would  say  that 
he  had  been  told  His  name  in  a  dream,  but  more  than  that 
he  would  not  tell. 

In  those  days  every  name  had  a  well-known  meaning.  It 
was  a  pretty  custom,  but  although  names  still  have  meanings, 
very  few  people  care  about  them  now.  What  is  thy  name  ? 
Perhaps  thou  art  a  little  Harold,  or  Margaret,  or  Wilfrid,  or 
Mary?  Thou  shouldst  learn  the  meaning  of  thy  name. 
Harold  means  a  champion ;  Margaret  means  a  pearl ;  Wilfrid 
means  the  peace-winner ;  Mary  means  bitterness.  But  thy 
name  was  given  thee  not  for  its  meaning,  but  because  it  was 
some  other  person's  name  before  thee,  or  for  its  pretty  sound, 
but  Jesus  got  His  name  because  of  its  meaning  only.  There 
is  no  other  name  so  beautiful,  for  it  means  "  Saviour ; "  the 
angel  told  Mary  so  when  he  said — 

"  Thou  shalt  call  Him  Jesus,  for  He  shall  save  His  people." 
And  when  thou  hearest  all  the  kind  things  that  Jesus  did,  and 
understandest  that  He  saves  people  from  wickedness,  who 
try  to  be  like  Him,  thou  wilt  say  He  well  deserves  His 
beautiful  name  of  "  Saviour." 

Mary  '■nd  Joseph  lived  quietly  in  some  friend's  house  in 
Bethlehem  till  Jesus  was  a  month  old,  and  her  cousin  Elisa- 
beth would  come  from  Hebron  to  see  her,  bringing  her 
little  babe  John,  for  it  was  the  rule  that  Mary  should  not 
go  out  for  a  month,  and  that  as  her  Child  was  a  little  Boy, 
her  first  journey  should  be  to  the  golden  Temple,  to  return 
thanks  and  present  Him  there.  She  was  glad  when  at  last 
she  could  come  out  into  the  early  morning  sunshine  of 
January,  with  Jesus  sleeping  in  her  arms,  and  mounting  the 
little  ass,  ride  away  to  Jerusalem,  which  was  only  six  miles 
off.  The  road  descended,  winding  among  the  hills,  and  vales 
which   were   already  becoming  green   with  early  grass,  and 


THE    GOLDEN    TEMPLE.  2^ 

after  two  hours'  riding  they  approached  the  city,  passing 
through  the  fine  houses  of  rich  men,  and  the  king's  gardens 
with  their  sheltered  flowers  and  trees,  and  by  the  pool  of 
Gihon  in  the  vale  of  Hinnom  as  they  came  near  to  the  high 
walls  and  great  square  towers  of  the  city.  By  a  long  stone 
archway  they  went  through  the  Bethlehem  Gate,  and  then 
they  were  in  a  narrow  street  paved  with  round  white  stones, 
with  houses  on  each  side  so  high  that  the  sun  could  not 
reach  them  as  the  ass  toiled  quietly  on,  climbing  up  towards 
a  high  part  of  the  town  called  Mount  Moriah,  on  which  the 
great  Golden  Temple  was  built.  Passing  over  the  long  stone 
bridge  of  the  deep  Tyropoean  Valley  that  divided  the  city, 
they  waited  among  a  crowd  of  worshippers  for  the  opening  of 
the  Temple  doors.  It  was  the  rule  that  Mary  should  bring 
a  small  present  of  two  turtle  doves  or  two  young  pigeons. 
These  could  be  bought  at  the  Temple  doors,  and  while  she 
rested  on  the  white  marble  steps,  Joseph,  who  had  not  much 
money,  bought  two  little  pigeons  in  a  small  wicker  cage. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  how  He  was  called  by  the  dear 
name  of  Jesus,  and  that  it  means  *'  Saviour,"  because  He 
saves  people  from  wickedness. 

THE   GOLDEN  TEMPLE. 

JERUSALEM,  JANUARY,  A.D.    I. 

At  length  the  sound  of  silver  trumpets  blown  three  times 
within  the  Temple,  told  Joseph  and  Mary  that  it  was  nine 
o'clock,  and  they  saw  the  great  doors  of  the  Temple 
slowly  opened  that  all  might  enter  in  to  the  morning  ser- 
vice. With  little  Jesus  in  her  arms,  and  Joseph  at  her 
side,  Mary  went  up  the  white  steps  and  into  the  Royal 
porch,  which  was  the  most  splendid  of  all  the  Temple 
porches,  having  four  rows  of  forty  marble  pillars  in  each 
row,  all  of  different  colours,  and  covered  by  a  richly  orna- 
mented roof;  yet  this  was  only  one  side  of  the  great  outer 
Temple  square.  Going  through  these  pillars,  they  walked  out 
into  the  wide  court  of  the  Gentiles,  which  was  open  to  the 


28        GATES  OF  GOLD,  AND  BRASS. 

blue  sky,  and  paved  with  the  finest  variegated  marble  of  all 
colours,  and  went  towards  a  magnificent  building  of  pure  white 
marble  with  pillars  all  round  it,  which  rose,  terrace  above  ter- 
race, from  the  middle  of  this  open  square,  the  highest  terrace 
having  a  peaked  roof  of  cedar  wood  covered  with  gold,  where 
the  morning  sun  was  reflected  in  a  blaze  of  fire.  This  great 
terraced  building  was  the  inner  Temple,  and  that  roof  of 
gold  covered  the  Hohest  place  of  all. 

They  went  towards  the  lower  end  of  this  splendid  building, 
passing  through  on  their  way  a  beautifully  ornamented  wall- 
screen  of  marble,  about  the  height  of  a  boy,  and  past  which 
none  but  Jews  might  go,  on  pain  of  death,  and  towards 
twelve  great  white  marble  steps  which  led  up  to  the  first 
magnificent  gate  of  the  inner  Temple.  This  gate  was  made 
of  bright  Corinthian  brass,  richly  wrought,  and  was  so  heavy 
that  it  took  twenty  men  to  move  it,  and  it  was  called  the 
Beautiful  Gate,  and  over  it  was  set  a  huge  eagle  of  brass, 
placed  there  by  King  Herod  to  please  the  Romans.  Going 
up  these  steps  they  passed  through  the  porch  consisting  of 
two  rows  of  marble  pillars,  and  then  they  entered  the  Court 
of  the  Women,  which  was  also  open  to  the  blue  sky  and  paved 
with  coloured  marble.  Going  across  this  court,  they  came 
to  fifteen  very  broad  marble  steps,  shaped  in  a  half-circle, 
on  which  the  Temple  singers  and  musicians  stood  when 
performing,  and  which  led  up  to  the  porch  of  a  second  gate, 
the  great  Nicanor  gate,  which  was  richly  ornamented  with 
silver  and  x  old,  the  most  beautiful  of  all  the  gates  of  the 
Temple.  Going  up  these  steps,  they  waited  among  the  pillars 
and  arches  of  the  Nicanor  porch,  at  the  end  of  which  was 
this  splendid  gate,  but  it  was  shut,  for  inside  were  the  courts 
of  the  Men  and  the  Priests,  into  which  no  woman  was  allowed 
to  go. 

When  the  Nicanor  gate  was  opened,  looking  in  they  saw  the 
white-robed  priests  and  the  huge  altar  built  of  unhewn  stone, 
with  the  smoke  of  the  morning  sacrifice  rising  from  it,  the  great 
heap  of  salt  with  which  every  sacrifice  was  salted,  the  marble 
tables  for  laying  the  sacrifices  on,  and  the  silver  table,  covered 


VEILS    OF    PURPLE,    AND    SCARLET.  29 

with  gold  and  silver  bowls  and  the  gold  shovels,  tongs,  spoons, 
hooks,  and  knives  of  the  priests.  They  saw  also  the  great 
brass  laver  for  water  at  one  side,  shaped  like  the  cup  of  a  huge 
flower,  and  supported  on  twelve  brazen  lions,  while  beyond, 
and  on  a  higher  terrace  still,  rose  the  Holy  place,  roofed  with 
gold,  and  built  of  huge  stones  covered  with  gold,  with  pillars 
of  snowy  marble,  while  over  the  entrance  to  its  porch  of  pillars, 
bang  a  great  outer  curtain  of  blue,  scarlet,  purple,  and  white, 
beyond  which  Joseph  and  Mary  could  not  see.  But  inside  that 
porch  was  a  door  plated  with  gold,  and  covered  with  a  thick 
curtain  of  the  same  colour  as  the  last,  and  over  it  was  a  great 
vine  of  pure  gold,  the  bunches  of  grapes  being  as  tall  as  a 
man.  Behind  these  closed  doors  was  the  Holy  place  in 
which  were  two  golden  tables  with  golden  crowns  wrought 
round  them,  on  which  stood  twelve  cakes  of  shew-bread,  and 
opposite  to  them  stood  the  golden  candlestick  with  seven 
lights  shaped  like  almond  tree  blossoms,  which  were  always 
kept  burning.  And  near  to  a  magnificent  veil  of  blue,  scarlet, 
purple,  gold,  and  white,  richly  wrought  together,  at  the  fur- 
ther end,  was  the  square  golden  altar  of  incense,  on  which  the 
priests  burnt  incense  of  sweet  spices  every  morning  when 
they  trimmed  the  lamps  of  the  golden  candlestick  and  poured 
in  fragrant  olive  oil.  Within  that  great  veil  was  a  room  whose 
walls  and  roof  were  covered  with  plates  of  gold,  and-  which 
every  Jew  regarded  with  awe  and  dread,  calling  it  the  Holy  of 
Holies ;  and  in  the  midst  of  that  glittering  silent  place  was  a 
large  rough  stone,  and  nothing  else. 

Mary  waited  with  her  little  basket  of  doves  until  the  white- 
robed  Levites  from  the  Priests'  court  within,  came  out  to  the 
woman  at  the  gate,  when  she  handed  one  of  them  her  present, 
which  he  carried  away  to  be  offered  on  the  altar.  Then  a 
priest  came  out,  and  all  the  women  went  towards  him,  when 
he  sprinkled  some  drops  of  blood  upon  them,  and  blessed 
them.  Thus  was  the  gentle  Mary  purified,  as  it  was  called. 
But  Jesus  had  yet  to  be  presented,  for  it  was  the  rule  that 
every  eldest  boy  had  to  be  presented  as  a  gift  to  God  in  the 
Temple,  and  if  his  parents  wished  it,  the  priests  would  keep 


30  PRESENTED    IN    THE    TEMPLE. 

him  and  train  him  up  among  themselves,  but  if  not,  then  they 
had  to  pay  five  silver  shekels  (worth  about  ten  shillings)  to  get 
their  little  boy  back  again ;  but  only  beautiful  children  could 
be  so  presented. 

Taking  little  Jesus  from  His  mother,  Joseph  carried  Him 
away  through  the  Nicanor  gate  into  the  Men's  court  within, 
and  put  Him  into  a  priest's  arms,  telUng  him  that  the 
Baby  boy  was  Mary's  first  Child.  The  priest  asked  if  he 
wished  Him  back  again,  to  which  Joseph  said  "  Yes,"  hand- 
ing him  the  five  silver  shekels.  The  priest  then  gave  Jesus 
back  to  Joseph,  and  putting  one  hand  on  the  Child's  brow, 
with  the  other  which  held  the  money,  he  made  a  circle  round 
His  head,  saying — 

"  This  is  instead  of  this,  and  this  for  this.  May  this  Child 
be  brought  to  Hfe,  to  the  law,  and  to  the  fear  of  God."  And, 
putting  both  hands  on  the  Child's  head,  he  said  a  short 
prayer,  commencing  thus  : 

"  The  Lord  bless  thee  and  keep  thee.  The  Lord  lift  up 
His  countenance  upon  thee,  and  give  thee  peace."  Then 
he  turned  away,  and  Joseph  carried  Jesus  back  to  His 
mother,  whose  young  face  had  been  watching  them  at  the 
gate  through  which  she  dared  not  go.  Clasping  her  Httle  boy 
in  her  arms,  and  kissing  Him,  Mary  turned  away  and  went 
down  the  great  white  steps  into  the  Women's  court  again. 

As  they  went  out,  an  old  man  of  Jerusalem,  called  Simeon, 
who  believed  that  he  would  not  die  until  he  had  seen  the 
Christ  wh(>^vas  to  save  his  people,  passed  by,  leaning  on  his 
staff,  and  with  his  white  hair  on  his  shoulders,  and  the  Spirit 
of  God  told  him  that  little  Jesus  was  the  young  Christ.  Stop- 
ping Mary,  he  begged  that  she  would  let  him  hold  the  Child. 
With  a  surprised  glance  at  his  face,  Mary  put  the  Child 
into  his  arms.  In  a  voice  trembling  with  deep  emotion,  the 
old  man  thanked  God  for  that  day,  saying  that  he  was  now 
willing  to  die,  having  seen  Jesus  the  Christ.  Turning  to 
Mary,  he  told  her  that  her  Child  would  have  a  great  effect 
on  the  rising  and  falling  of  many  in  their  nation,  and  that 
great  sorrow  would  come  to  her.     With  one  more  look  at  the 


THE    STAR    OF    BETHLEHEM.  3 1 

face  of  Jesus,  he  gave  Him  back  to  His  mother,  and  leaning 
on  his  staff  moved  slowly  on  to  prayers  in  the  inner  Temple. 

Hardly  had  he  gone,  when  Anna,  an  old  and  very  good 
woman,  who  was  often  in  the  Temple  worshipping,  hearing 
what  Simeon  said,  came  up  to  Mary,  who  was  to  her  a  mere 
girl,  for  she  was  nearly  one  hundred  years  old,  and  her  hus- 
band had  died  when  she  was  only  a  few  years  older  than 
Mary,  and  looking  at  the  young  mother  and  her  Child,  she 
also  recognised  Jesus  as  the  young  Christ,  and  gave  thanks 
joyfully  to  God  that  He  was  born ;  and  to  the  people  who 
were  near  she  said  that  the  Child  would  be  the  Saviour  of  the 
nation.  And  many  of  the  people  believed  her,  and  were  glad, 
for  they  knew  Anna  to  be  a  good  woman,  and  came  to  look 
at  the  wonderful  Child  Christ  that  had  been  presented  that 
day. 

Again  Mary  was  put  upon  the  little  ass,  and  taking  the 
bridle  in  his  hand,  Joseph  guided  it  down  the  steep  streets, 
out  by  the  city  gate  and  along  the  dusty  road  among  the  hills, 
and  before  night  came  on  they  were  back  again  in  their  friend's 
house  at  Bethlehem. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  that  Jesus  was  presented  by  His 
mother  in  the  Golden  Temple  while  still  a  baby ;  just  as  thy 
own  mother  has  often  presented  thee  in  prayer  to  God  in  the 
temple  of  her  loving  heart. 


THE   STAR   OF   BETHLEHEM. 

BETHLEHEM,   SPRING,   A.D.    I. 

When  Jesus  was  born,  a  bright  new  star  was  discovered 
in  the  sky,  sparkling  and  flashing  through  the  blue  night. 
There  were  men  then  who  watched  the  stars,  and  said  they 
could  tell  from  their  movements  what  would  happen,  and  that 
stars  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  people's  lives.  These  wise 
men  were  called  Magi,  and  some  of  them  lived  in  an  Eastern 
city  (some  think  in  Persia)  ;  and  one  night,  as  they  watched 
the  same  stars  which  thou  seest  scattered  like  chips  of  silver 


32 


THE    WISE    MEN. 


over  the  sky,  they  noticed  this  strange  bright  star  shining  low 
down  where  they  had  never  seen  it  before  ;  and  every  evening 
when  it  grew  dark  and  the  stars  began  to  appear  they  watched 
for  it,  and  there  it  was  in  the  same  place  again — low  and  red 
and  near  the  earth — and  they  wondered  what  it  could  mean. 
Like  old  Simeon  and  Anna,  they  also  believed  that  the  Christ 
would  be  born  about  this  time,  and  would  be  the  King  of  the 
Jews — perhaps  they  themselves  were  Jews  who  lived  in  Persia 
— and  the  Spirit  of  God  revealed  to  them  that  the  Christ  had 
indeed  been  bom,  and  that  this  beautiful  star  was  a  sign  to 
them  to  go  and  find  Him,  and  they  were  glad,  and  resolved 
to  go  to  Jerusalem,  although  it  was  far  away,  and  worship 
the  little  baby  King  and  take  Him  presents. 

They  were  rich  men,  and  ordered  their  servants  to  saddle 
camels,  and  get  ready  at  once  for  a  long  journey.  Now  camels 
are  strange-looking  animals,  with  long  thin  legs,  and  can  go 
very  fast  over  the  sand  with  their  broad  soft  feet,  and  need 
little  water,  and  the  servants  put  large  wooden  saddles  on 
them  and  fringed  cloths  of  crimson  and  blue,  and  bridles  with 
red  tassels  ;  and  taking  food  and  water  and  presents,  the  wise 
men,  dressed  in  their  finest  clothes,  mounted  on  the  best  of  the 
camels,  the  servants  following  on  others,  and  rode  away,  armed 
with  long  spears  and  swords  to  scare  the  robbers.  They  had 
many  miles  of  hot  yellow  sand  to  travel  over  before  they  could 
reach  Jesus'  country,  and  every  evening  when  they  saw  the 
bright  beautiful  star  shining  red  and  low  in  the  sky  before 
them  they  btopped,  and  saddles  were  unpacked,  and  tents  put 
up  for  the  night ;  and  before  the  star  had  faded  in  the  morning 
light  they  were  up  and  riding  on  again.  And  so  day  after  day, 
resting  under  green  trees  when  the  midday  sun  was  hot,  they 
travelled  on,  and  ever  the  star  that  came  trembling  forth  at 
eve  was  their  guide  and  hope.  I  know  not  how  many  days  they 
travelled  ;  but  if  they  saw  the  star  on  the  night  that  Jesus  was 
born,  and  started  without  delay,  they  must  have  travelled  for 
six  weeks,  for  He  had  been  presented  in  the  Temple  before  they 
reached  Jerusalem. 

At  length  they  saw  the  mountain  ranges  of  the  country  of 


SEEKING    FOR   JESUS.  33 

Jesus,  and  climbing  into  them  found  how  fresh  and  beautiful 
they  were  with  budding  leaves,  soft  grass,  and  purple  hyacinths, 
crocus  and  tulip,  after  the  deserts  of  hot  yellow  sand  from 
which  they  came ;  a  few  days  more,  and  they  were  riding  into 
Jerusalem,  thinking  their  journey  at  an  end.  They  were  sur- 
prised, however,  to  find  no  signs  of  rejoicing,  no  flags  or  feast- 
ing, no  music  or  dancing,  and  stopping  a  man  they  asked  him — 

"  Where  is  He  that  is  born  King  of  the  Jews  ?  We  have 
seen  His  star  in  the  East,  and  have  come  to  worship  Him." 
The  man  did  not  know.  He  had  never  heard  of  it ;  and  look- 
ing at  the  swarthy  faces  and  fine  dresses  of  the  rich  men,  he 
wondered  who  they  were  as  he  walked  away.  Every  one  they 
asked  seemed  surprised,  and  gave  them  the  same  answer. 
But  they  went  from  street  to  street  of  the  city  asking  the 
same  thing,  and  attracting  much  notice  by  their  strange  for- 
eign looks  and  stranger  question.  Their  robes  were  rich, 
their  saddle-cloths  of  crimson  and  blue,  fringed  with  gold ; 
they  had  armed  servants,  and  were  plainly  important  men, 
perhaps  princes  in  their  own  country,  and  as  they  went 
through  the  crowded  bazaars,  all  the  people  of  Jerusalem 
wondered  greatly  at  them.  When  night  came,  they  looked, 
but  there  was  no  star,  nor  the  next  night,  and  they  remained 
in  Jerusalem  searching  the  city  day  after  day. 

Some  one  told  the  king  about  the  strange  visitors  who  had 
come  to  the  city,  saying  that  the  young  Christ  was  born  King, 
and  for  whom  they  were  searching  everywhere.  Now  Herod 
was  a  wicked  cruel  king  who  thought  his  friends  were  always 
plotting  to  make  some  one  else  king,  and  when  he  heard  what 
these  men  were  saying  he  was  greatly  troubled,  and  ordered 
his  Council  of  chief  priests  and  councillors  to  meet  him  at  his 
palace.  He  believed,  and  the  priests  also  believed,  and 
taught,  that  the  Christ  would  one  day  be  born  and  save  the 
people,  for  it  was  so  written  in  the  Bible  which  the  priests  kept. 

"Where  is  the  Christ  to  be  born?"  the  king  demanded, 
when  his  Councillors  were  standing  before  him. 

''  In  Bethlehem  of  Judaea,"  they  replied  at  once,  for  they 
all  knew,  and  sending  for  the  Bible,  they  unrolled  it  carefully 


34 


KING    HEROD^S    PLOT. 


at  the  book  of  Micah,  and  read  to  the  king  the  following 
words  which  had  been  written  seven  hundred  years  before  : 

"  But  thou,  Bethlehem  Ephratah, 
Which  art  little  among  the  families  of  Judah, 
Out  of  thee  shall  one  come  forth  unto  me  that  is  to  be 

Ruler  in  Israel ; 
Whose  goings  forth  are  from  of  old,  from  ancient  days." 

And  had  the  king  been  a  right  Jew,  he  would  have  known 
these  words  also. 

The  old  white-haired  king  sat  frowning  in  silence,  for  he 
was  thinking  of  a  plan  to  destroy  Jesus.  Dismissing  the 
Council,  he  sent  a  messenger  to  the  wise  men  to  say  that  the 
king  wished  to  see  them.  Putting  on  their  best  robes,  they 
hurried  up  in  the  afternoon  to  the  king's  palace  on  Mount 
Zion,  expecting  that  he  would  show  them  the  Baby- King.  His 
palace  was  of  white  marble  looking  down  from  the  hillside 
across  the  city,  and  was  surrounded  with  lovely  gardens  and 
fountains,  and  was  even  more  gorgeously  ornamented  with 
gold  and  coloured  stones  than  the  Temple  itself;  and  they 
were  taken  through  a  splendid  hall  and  into  a  private  room, 
where  they  bowed  themselves  to  the  ground  before  the  old, 
sickly,  and  gloomy  king.  With  apparent  kindness  he  asked 
them  many  questions  about  why  they  had  come  to  Jerusalem, 
and  they  told  him  of  the  star,  and  what  they  believed  about 
the  copning  Christ,  and  their  presents.  Frowning  more 
deeply,  the  king  asked  them  particularly  when  this  star  ap- 
peared ;  for  the  wicked  old  man  guessed  that  Jesus  would  be 
born  about  the  same  time ;  and  the  men  told  him  the  exact 
day.  After  thinking  again,  the  king  looked  up  and,  pretend- 
ing to  be  very  friendly,  told  them  they  would  find  the  young 
Christ  in  Bethlehem,  which  was  not  far  off,  and  to  go  thither 
as  his  messengers,  saying — 

"  Go  and  search  out  carefully  all  about  the  young  Child ; 
and  when  you  have  found  Him,  come  back  and  tell  me,  that 
I  also  may  come  and  worship  Him." 

"  What  a  good  old  king  !  how  much  better  than  he  looks," 


FRANKINCENSE,    GOLD    AND    MYRRH.  35 

they  thought,  as-  they  bowed  and  retired  from  the  room. 
They  did  not  know  that  he  was  telling  lies,  and  intended  to 
kill  Jesus. 

It  was  evening  when  they  came  down  the  marble  steps  of 
King  Herod's  palace,  and  there,  low  down  before  them  in 
the  sky,  was  the  red  star  again.  Mounting  their  camels  at 
or.ce,  they  rode  out  of  the  city  by  the  Bethlehem  Gate,  in 
which  direction  the  star  was  shining,  out  into  the  dim  country 
roads,  and  up  among  the  dark  hills ;  and  in  the  silent  night, 
broken  only  by  the  tinkling  of  their  silver  camel-bells,  they 
followed  the  star  over  hill  and  hollow  and  along  green  slopes 
fragrant  with  the  scent  of  blossoming  trees  and  sweet-smelling 
wild  flowers,  for  Spring  had  come  again,  until  from  the 
shepherds'  plains,  they  saw  clearly  in  the  moonlight  the  white 
walls  of  Bethlehem  on  the  hill ;  and  the  star  seemed  to  shine 
over  one  corner  of  it,  and  they  stopped  there. 

As  soon  as  the  gates  were  opened  in  the  morning  the  wise 
men  rode  in,  and  the  villagers  wondered  at  them.  They 
asked  no  questions  now,  but  went  up  the  main  street  talking 
together,  until  they  came  to  a  particular  house,  which  they 
had  marked  as  the  one  over  which  the  star  had  seemed  to 
rest  last  night.  It  looked  a  very  humble  house  for  a  King ; 
but  they  got  down  from  their  camels,  and  ordered  their 
servants  to  unpack  their  presents  of  gold,  and  frankincense 
and  myrrh  in  parcels,  and  when  all  was  ready  they  opened  the 
door  of  the  house  and  went  in. 

There  they  found  Mary  and  Joseph,  for  that  was  the  house 
where  they  lived,  and  the  good  wise  men  knelt  down  in  their 
strange  robes  before  the  little  Child  in  Mary's  arms,  and 
worshipped  Him  as  the  young  Christ,  and  taking  their  gold, 
and  rich  sweet  spices,  they  laid  them  on  the  floor  before  Him, 
as  presents  from  their  far  country.  Having  worshipped  the 
Child,  they  rested  and  took  food,  and  told  Joseph  and  Mary 
about  the  star  and  about  King  Herod,  and  of  their  great  and 
deep  joy  that  Jesus  the  Christ  was  born.  That  night  they 
slept  in  Bethlehem,  intending  to  return  and  tell  King  Herod 
next  day ;  but  as  they  slept  they  dreamt  that  they  were  not 


36  THE    FLIGHT   TO    EGYPT. 

to  tell  him  that  they  had  found  Jesus.  ■  And  when  the 
morning  came,  telling  Joseph  of  their  dream,  they  rode  oif, 
and  instead  of  turning  back  to  Jerusalem,  they  went  on  past 
Hebron  and  away,  returning  to  their  own  country  by  another 
road.  So  that  it  was  strangers  from  a  distance  who  first  came 
to  worship  Jesus,  and  in  them  was  the  Spirit  of  God. 

And  as  oft  as  thou  lookest  at  the  shining  stars  at  night, 
thick  as  daisies  on  a  summer  meadow,  the  same  stars  on 
which  those  wise  men  looked  so  long  ago,  remember  the 
beautiful  story  of  the  red  star  of  Bethlehem. 

THE   FLIGHT  TO   EGYPT. 

BETHLEHEM,  SPRING,  A.D.  I. 

Joseph  and  Mary  intended  to  stay  a  little  longer  in 
Bethlehem,  and  then  return  to  their  home  in  Nazareth ;  but 
the  night  after  the  wise  men  went  away,  Joseph  had  a  dream 
which  frightened  him.  He  had  been  thinking  of  King 
Herod's  message,  he  knew  that  he  was  a  cruel  king,  and  that 
night  he  again  dreamt  that  an  angel  stood  at  his  bedside. 

"  Rise,  and  take  the  young  Child  and  His  mother,"  the 
angel  said,  "  and  fly  into  Egypt,  and  remain  there  until  I  tell 
thee,  for  King  Herod  will  seek  Jesus  to  kill  Him." 

Awaking  with  a  start,  Joseph  roused  Mary  and  told  her  that 
they  must  fly  at  once,  for  he  believed  the  dream  was  a  message 
from  Gq-\  Lighting  a  lamp,  they  dressed  themselves  and 
prepared  to  start  without  delay,  for  they  knew  that  once  in 
Egypt,  King  Herod  could  not  touch  them.  Mary  was  brave, 
and  gathering  together  the  clothing  of  Jesus,  and  His  presents, 
and  their  own  things,  she  was  soon  ready;  while  Joseph 
saddled  the  ass,  putting  their  money  into  the  saddle-bags, 
with  a  little  food  and  water,  and  taking  thick  cloaks  to  protect 
them,  and  his  stout  staff".  Gently  lifting  the  sleeping  Child 
from  His  cot,  Mary  hid  Him  under  her  cloak,  and,  without 
telling  any  one  whither  they  were  going,  they  left  the  quiet 
house,  closing  the  door  on  their  sleeping  friends,  so  that 
their  flight  might  not  be  known ;  and  putting  Mary,  muffled 


RUNNING,    AND    RESTING.  37 

in  her  cloak,  on  the  ass's  back,  Joseph  led  it  down  the  village 
street,  making  as  little  noise  as  possible.  They  had  to  rouse 
the  sleeping  watchman  at  the  gate  in  the  village  walls,  who 
opened  it  and  let  them  out,  and  soon  they  were  on  the  road, 
past  Hebron,  which  the  wise  men  had  taken  only  the  day 
before. 

The  stars  were  shining  in  the  blue  sky  as  Mary  looked  up 
at  Bethlehem  for  the  last  time,  and  Joseph,  taking  the  bridle 
in  his  hand,  urged  the  ass  into  a  quick  trot,  seeing  the  road 
by  the  light  of  the  moon,  and  running  by  its  side,  in  order  to 
get  as  far  away  from  the  village  as  he  could  before  daylight 
came.  Active  and  strong,  he  walked  only  to  gain  breath  and 
run  again,  for  the  hfe  of  his  precious  Child  depended  on 
his  running.  Egypt  was  a  long  way  off — about  eighty  miles 
in  a  straight  line — the  road  going  along  the  ridge  of  the  hills 
then  down  from  the  hills  to  plains  and  the  sea-shore,  and 
while  Joseph  kept  off  the  main  road  as  much  as  possible,  for 
fear  of  being  overtaken  by  King  Herod's  messengers,  it  served 
as  a  guide  to  him. 

It  was  now  early  Spring,  the  time  of  flowers  and  green  grass  ; 
and  when  they  saw  the  day  dawning  in  gold  fringed  clouds 
and  kindling  with  rose  upon  the  dim  range  of  the  distant  hills 
of  Moab,  the  grey  lark  caroled  in  the  sky,  and  Mary  rejoiced, 
for  they  were  quite  out  of  sight  of  Bethlehem,  lost  among  hills, 
and  miles  upon  their  way.  As  the  daylight  made  the  country 
clear  around  them  Joseph  led  the  ass  off  the  hard  white  road, 
into  the  bridle-paths  that  wound  through  the  green  passes  in 
the  hills.  From  each  rising  ground  they  saw  ever  nearer  and 
nearer  the  great  blue  Mediterranean  Sea,  towards  which  they 
toiled,  and  once  across  the  wide  PhiHstine  plains,  its  shores 
would  guide  them  further  on  their  way. 

Noontide  found  them  resting  under  the  shade  of  a  thick 
green  tree,  in  a  secluded  hollow  by  a  stream,  taking  their 
mid-day  meal,  with  wild  lilies  of  red  and  gold,  purple  poppies 
and  scarlet  anemones  springing  round  them  ;  and  in  the  after- 
noon, when  the  heat  grew  less,  they  hastened  on  again,  till 
darkness  caused  them  to  ask  for  shelter  at  some  house,  which 


38  IN    EGYPT. 

was  never  refused.  Each  day  spent  in  hurrying  over  rough 
roads,  cHmbing  hills,  seeking  by-paths,  and  crossing  brooks, 
made  their  minds  easier,  for  there  was  less  and  less  chance  of 
their  being  pursued  and  captured  by  King  Herod ;  and  every 
day  brought  them  nearer  to  the  Hne  between  the  two  countries, 
over  which,  they  would  be  safe  under  the  protection  of  the 
King  of  Egypt. 

A  river  ran  between  the  countries,  and  in  less  than  a 
week  from  the  night  when  they  scrambled  in  haste  down  the 
steep  path  from  Bethlehem,  the  shaggy  ass  carried  Mary  and 
Jesus  over  the  shallow  ford  of  the  river  and  safely  into  Egypt. 
Oft  on  that  journey  had  they  kept  away  from  villages,  lest 
their  pursuer  might  hear  which  way  they  had  gone ;  oft  had 
they  thought  that  persons  seen  on  the  hills  behind  them,  were 
King  Herod's  soldiers ;  oft  had  they  feared  to  rest,  lest  they 
might  be  overtaken  and  captured.  It  had  been  a  flight  full 
of  terrors  to  the  young  mother ;  but  at  last  the  slow-footed  ass, 
tired,  patient,  covered  with  dust,  stood  on  foreign  ground,  and 
Mary's  precious  Child  was  safe,  and  she  thanked  God. 

They  did  not  remain  long  close  to  Palestine,  but  taking  the 
public  road  without  fear,  they  journeyed  on  into  Egypt,  sleeping 
in  strange  villages,  buying  food  of  strange  people,  no  longer  in 
a  hurry,  looking  about  them  for  a  place  to  stop  at,  among 
people  who  spoke  another  language,  and  who  wore  curious 
foreign  dresses,  quite  different  from  their  own ;  Joseph  then 
found  th<?  benefit  of  the  gold  and  the  presents  of  the  wise 
men.  Carpenters  are  of  use  in  any  land,  and  Joseph  was  not 
long  in  getting  work  that  he  could  do,  hammering  and  saw- 
ing, making  waggons,  ploughs,  and  saddles,  or  whatever  the 
people  wanted ;  and  fixing  on  a  good  place,  he  took,  or  per- 
haps built,  a  little  house  for  Mary,  and  prepared  to  wait  and 
work  in  chat  strange  country  until  they  got  a  message  to  return 
home  again. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  that  Jesus  was  only  a  little  Baby 
when  His  young  mother  had  to  rise  with  Him  in  the  night  and 
fly  from  Bethlehem  for  fear  of  the  cruel  King  Herod. 


KING  HEROD  AND  THE  CHILDREN.      39 
KING  HEROD  AND  THE  CHILDREN. 

BETHLEHEM,    SPRING,   A.D.    I. 

King  Herod  looked  out  from  his  palace  windows,  looking 
for  the  return  of  the  wise  men  ;  and  as  day  after  day  went  past 
and  they  did  not  come,  he  grew  impatient.  Sending  to  Beth- 
lehem, he  found  that  they  had  left  for  their  own  country  some 
days  ago,  and  this  made  him  very  angry.  A  week  had  gone 
by,  a  precious  week  !  for  by  that  time  Jesus  and  His  mother 
were  safe  in  Egypt.  Had  the  king  sent  soldiers  with  the 
wise  men,  he  might  have  taken  Jesus  ;  but  by  trying  to  deceive 
them,  and  waiting  for  their  return,  he  provided  the  very  delay 
which  favoured  His  escape.  King  Herod  was  the  most  cruel 
king  that  ever  reigned  in  Jerusalem,  killing  everyone  whom 
He  suspected,  even  his  own  three  sons,  and  his  beautiful  wife 
Mariamne  ;  and  when  he  found  that  he  had  been  slighted 
and  befooled  by  the  wise  men,  he  resolved  to  do  a  horrible 
thing,  to  slay  little  Jesus ;  and  in  order  to  make  certain  that 
He  should  not  escape,  he  formed  this  cruel  plan.  The  wise 
men  had  told  him  that  the  young  Christ  was  not  yet  six 
months  old.  They  might  be  wrong  however,  and,  to  satisfy 
his  rage,  the  king  resolved  to  kill  every  baby  boy  in  Bethle- 
hem, or  near  it,  who  was  two  years  old  or  under  that  age. 

Calling  the  captain  of  his  guard,  he  commanded  him  to 
send  soldiers  at  once  to  Bethlehem  to  do  this  dreadful  thing ; 
and  if  a  single  child  escaped,  the  captain  would  pay  for  it 
with  his  own  Hfe.  The  stern  officer,  in  his  rich  dress  and 
burnished  armour,  had  received  many  dreadful  commands 
from  this  feeble  king  of  seventy  years  of  age,  but  never  a 
command  so  cruel  as  this ;  and,  bowing  low,  he  retired, 
perhaps  considering  as  he  went  whether  he  would  not  give  up 
his  office  rather  than  obey  such  a  wicked  order.  But  going 
to  an  officer_under  him,  he  told  him  the  king's  command,  and 
bade  him  take  a  small  band  of  soldiers  and  carry  it  out  at  once. 

The  soldiers  marched  out  from  the  king's  palace  and  its 
lovely  gardens,  down  into  the  town  and  out  through  the  city 


40  SOLDIERS    MARCHING    TO    BETHLEHEM. 

gate  into  the  quiet  country  road,  and  over  the  hills  to 
Bethlehem,  the  sun  glancing  yellow  on  their  brass-crested 
helmets,  and  flashing  blue  from  their  short  sharp  swords,  their 
tread  raising  a  cloud  of  dust  behind  them.  As  they  neared 
Bethlehem,  the  country  people,  shepherds,  gardeners,  farmers, 
came  out  of  their  cottages,  or  stood  in  the  fields  where  the 
oleander  bushes  were  crowned  thick  as  flowering  thorn  trees 
with  rosy  blossoms,  to  look  at  the  king's  soldiers,  wondering 
why  they  had  come,  and  feeling  safe  in  their  protection ;  and 
the  soldiers  smiled  under  their  grim  helmets  when  the  little 
children,  clapping  their  hands  and  shouting  at  the  sight  of 
their  flashing  and  jingling  arms,  came  running  along  beside 
them  to  imitate  their  stride,  crushing  with  their  bare  feet  the 
red  anemones  in  the  grass.  The  soldiers  laughed,  for  they 
did  not  know  why  they  were  going  to  Bethlehem. 

Halting  under  the  village,  the  oflicer  told  them  the  command 
of  the  king,  that  they  were  to  go  into  every  house  in  Bethle- 
hem, and  into  each  house  in  the  country  round  about,  and  slay 
every  baby  boy  who  was  two  years  old  or  under,  sparing  none. 
The  soldiers  were  filled  with  disgust.  Had  they  armed  them- 
selves with  breastplate,  shield,  and  spear  to  slay  babes  !  And 
some  who  had  little  lisping  children  of  their  own,  felt  inclined 
to  fling  down  their  swords  and  leave  the  king's  army,  rather 
than  obey  such  a  cruel  order,  and  let  old  King  Herod  come 
and  slay  the  sweet  babes  himself;  far  rather  would  they  have 
marched  into  the  thick  of  battle,  than  turn  their  swords  upon 
the  defenceless  breasts  of  tottering  children.  An  awful  thing 
about  soldiers  is,  that  they  are  trained  to  obey,  and  not  to 
think  whether  the  thing  they  are  told  to  do  is  right  or  is 
wrong ;  until  they  get  to  believe  that  it  is  right  and  noble  to 
obey  any,  and  every  order,  and  slay  or  spare,  just  as  they  are 
told.  This  is  called  military  discipline  ;  and  these  poor  men 
thought  that  they  were  somehow  doing  their  duty  when,  with 
sullen  faces  and  rebellious  hearts,  they  dispersed  over  the 
country  and  into  the  village  to  obey  the  king's  wicked  com- 
mand. Soon  the  streets  were  ringing  with  the  cries  of 
mothers  running  to  and  fro,  thinking  that  their  children  were 


THE    TRIUMPH    OF    THE    INNOCENTS.  4I 

all  to  be  slain,  as  the  grim  soldiers  went  from  house  to  house, 
sword  in  hand ;  and  peaceful  Bethlehem,  which  that  morning 
had  smiled  with  sunshine  on  its  doors,  was  suddenly  filled 
with  gloom  and  mourning. 

It  is  all  over.  Forming  their  band  again,  the  sullen  soldiers 
marched  rapidly  away  from  the  sorrowing  village  and  the  peace- 
ful, beautiful  vale  of  Mamre,  cursing  their  king  and  blaming 
him  for  what  they  had  done,  back  to  the  crowded  town,  back 
to  the  rich  gardens  and  the  splendid  palace.  And  the  officer 
went  up  the  white  stairs,  and  through  the  marble  pillars  and 
over  the  coloured  pavement,  and  was  ushered  by  black  slaves 
into  the  king's  presence ;  and  there,  old,  white,  his  misery 
mocked  by  a  golden  crown  and  a  purple  robe,  upon  a  chair  of 
ivory  and  gold,  with  richly  embroidered  curtains  behind  him, 
sat  Herod,  the  man-fiend,  the  child-slayer. 

In  answer  to  his  stern  question,  the  officer  replied  that  he 
had  executed  his  commands.  Had  any  escaped  ?  "  No,  not 
one."  The  king  felt  reHeved,  satisfied,  almost  happy;  and  as 
he  signed  to  the  officer  to  go  away,  a  grim  smile  passed  over 
his  white  face,  for  he  thought  that  he  had  defeated  the  wise 
men,  put  an  end  to  another  danger,  and  even  foiled  the 
purposes  of  God,  by  killing  the  Christ  in  infancy.  And  per- 
haps the  murder  of  these  innocents  gave  him  a  little  quiet 
sleep  that  night. 

There  is  a  very  beautiful  picture  painted  by  a  good,  child- 
loving  Englishman,  Holman  Hunt,  called  "  The  Triumph  of 
the  Innocents."  In  a  lovely  group  these  little  children  of 
Bethlehem,  with  flower-wreaths  on  their  heads,  some  of  crimson 
roses,  some  of  purple  pansies  and  red  poppies,  with  flower- 
ropes  in  their  hands  and  twining  arms,  are  pressing  to  the 
side  of  the  ass  that  carries  Mary  and  her  Child  into  Egypt, 
while  the  Boy  Jesus  stretches  out  hands  to  them  with  a  look 
of  joy  and  welcome  in  His  perfectly  beautiful  face.  It  is  a 
picture  full  of  the  perfection  of  child-life,  a  vision  of  the 
children  of  Heaven,  and  teaches  what  I  wish  thee  to  remem- 
ber, that  neither  kings  nor  sword-blades  can  mar  the  triumph 
of  innocence  over  cruelty  and  wrong. 


42  THE    RETURN    TO    NAZARETH. 

THE   RETURN   TO   NAZARETH. 

EGYPT,   SPRING,   A.D.    2. 

Jesus  was  about  a  year  in  Egypt.  He  was  carried  in  His 
mother's  arms  and  on  her  back  for  months,  then  His  little 
naked  feet  were  put  to  the  ground,  and  He  learnt  to  walk,  and 
His  young  mother  was  His  constant  joyful  companion.  Joseph 
easily  found  work  as  a  carpenter,  and,  with  the  presents  from 
the  wise  men,  he  would  buy  hammer,  saw  and  axe,  chisels  and 
wedges,  and  resume  his  old  work  of  box,  plough,  and  furniture- 
maker  for  the  farmers  and  villagers,  living  in  a  small  house 
which  Mary  kept  bright  and  clean,  meeting  him  with  little 
Jesus  every  night  when  he  came  home.  And  so  month  after 
month  went  joyfully  past  in  that  little  cottage  in  Egypt,  but  it 
was  different  in  King  Herod's  splendid  palace. 

Attacked  by  a  terrible  disease,  the  old  king  tried  hot  baths 
in  sulphur  springs  by  the  Dead  Sea,  sea  breezes  by  the  Medi- 
terranean, and  the  finest  food  and  fruit  that  could  be  got ;  but 
he  could  not  get  any  sleep.  Death  came  slowly  and  with 
great  pain  in  a  magnificent  palace  which  he  had  built  in 
Jericho,  and  to  which  he  had  gone  in  the  hope  of  feeling 
better  amid  the  green  feathery  palms,  rose  gardens,  and  per- 
fume plantations  of  that  loveliest  of  his  cities.  He  lay  in  a 
splendid  bed,  hung  with  richly  embroidered  curtains ;  doctors 
came  and  looked  at  him,  and  went  away  shaking  their  heads, 
for  they  could  do  nothing  for  him,  although  he  offered  them 
gold  an^  jewels  to  take  away  his  pain.  Messengers  came  and 
went  with  hushed  steps,  for  the  whole  land  was  waiting,  was  wish- 
ing for  his  death.  One  April  morning  it  was  whispered  in  his 
chamber,  whispered  through  the  palace,  and  carried  out  into 
the  street  that  the  king  was  dead ;  and  every  one  said  it  was 
good  news,  for  he  was  hated,  although  he  had  reigned  thirty- 
seven  years,  and  built  the  Golden  Temple. 

King  Herod  dead  !  The  news  was  brought  by  merchants 
into  Egypt.  It  would  soon  be  safe  for  them  to  return  home ; 
and  one  night  Joseph  had  another  dream.  Again  an  angel 
seemed  to  stand  beside  him,  and  say — 


PASSING    BETHLEHEM.  43 

"Rise  and  take  the  young  Child  and  His  mother,  and 
return  to  thine  own  country ;  for  they  are  dead  who  sought 
His  hfe,"  and  the  angel  departed,  and  Joseph  told  his  dream 
to  Mary ;  and  they  were  glad  of  the  king's  death. 

They  did  not  need  to  hurry.  Joseph  would  sell  all  the 
things  which  they  could  not  carry  back  with  them  to  Bethle- 
hem, and  saddling  their  ass,  and  bidding  farewell  to  the 
people  who  had  been  kind  to  them,  they  started  for  home, 
never  to  return  to  Egypt.  What  a  different  journey  from  the 
last,  when  Mary  had  to  fly  in  the  night-time  with  her  Babe, 
leaving  everything  behind ;  but  now  she  returned  with  a  little 
laughing  dark-eyed  Boy,  who  could  walk  a  short  way  on  the 
soft  grass  in  the  Summer  sunshine.  They  would  travel  with 
other  people,  who  were  going  up  to  Jerusalem  by  the  well- 
known  merchants'  road,  Mary  telling  her  lisping,  wondering 
Child  how  lovely  was  their  own  country  of  hill  and  hollow, 
tree  and  flower,  and  how  pretty  their  vine-covered  home. 
Travelling  easily,  at  the  rate  of  the  camels  of  the  merchants 
loaded  with  goods,  they  rested  at  noon,  for  it  was  Summer 
time,  the  weather  was  very  hot,  and  the  grass  withering ;  and 
soon  Jesus  looked  for  the  first  time  on  the  boundless  blue  sea, 
heaving  and  sparkling  in  the  sunshine. 

In  a  week's  time  they  were  within  sight  of  the  brown  and 
white  hills  of  Hebron ;  in  a  day  or  two  more  they  hoped  to 
be  in  Bethlehem ;  and  everywhere  they  were  told  that  King 
Herod  was  dead,  and  that  Archelaus  his  son  was  now  king. 
But  they  also  heard  that  he  had  already  slain  a  great  number 
of  men,  and  this  made  Joseph  afraid  to  go  up  to  Bethlehem, 
it  being  so  near  to  Jerusalem,  where  the  king  lived.  Now 
Archelaus  was  king  over  all  the  country  of  Judaea  round  about 
Jerusalem ;  and  although  Joseph  thought  it  was  not  safe  to  go 
to  Bethlehem  he  beheved  that  the  angel  meant  him  to  go 
thither.  But  one  night  he  dreamed  again  that  he  was  not 
to  go  to  Bethlehem,  nor  to  stay  anywhere  in  Judaea ;  and 
in  the  morning  he  decided  to  keep  out  of  the  country  of  King 
Archelaus,  and  return  to  their  old  home  at  Nazareth,  in 
Galilee,  which  belonged  to  another  king  called  Antipas. 


44  HOME    AGAIN. 

Travelling  on  for  a  few  days  more  by  the  side  of  the  sea, 
along  the  beautiful  plains  of  Philistia  and  Sharon,  they  turned 
upwards  to  cUmb  the  wooded  Carmel  hills  which  looked  down 
on  the  rich  plain  of  Esdraelon  and  across  to  Nazareth.  The 
plain  was  green  with  waving  grain,  and  the  trees  were  in  full 
leaf  round  the  villages,  and  sweet  with  the  rich  perfume  of 
the  orange  and  almond  blossom,  as  they  walked  along  the 
bridle-path  of  hard  earth  that  led  to  the  mouth  of  the  vale 
of  Nazareth.  At  length  they  reach  the  steep  path  that  winds 
up  the  side  of  the  valley  towards  the  village.  Mary  sees  again 
the  tall  trees,  the  sweet  profusion  of  wild  flowers  which  spe- 
cially mark  the  lovely  spot  where  the  village  spring  is,  then 
the  walls  of  the  village  come  into  view,  and  soon  the  ass's  feet 
are  clattering  over  the  stones  of  the  street.  There  is  her 
mother's  house,  with  the  vine  spreading  along  the  white  wall 
and  climbing  over  the  low  roof,  and  her  garden  of  flowers  ! — 
at  last  she  is  home  again,  safe  among  friends,  with  her  precious 
Child  ! 

The  ass  was  let  loose  to  frisk  without  his  saddle-bags,  and 
Mary  entered  her  mother's  house,  there  to  remain  till  their 
own  home  was  ready  for  them.  And  thither  all  the  neigh- 
bours would  gather,  to  hear  her  story,  and  look  at  her  lovely 
Boy,  with  His  ruddy  cheeks  and  yellow  hair,  who  was  just  able 
to  walk  with  the  help  of  her  hand.  In  a  few  days  she  was  in 
her  own  little  house  again.  And  Joseph  returned  to  his  work- 
shop and,  gathering  his  tools,  resumed  sawing,  hammering, 
making  an^i  mending,  as  though  he  had  not  been  absent  from 
his  bench  one  day  during  the  long  months  that  had  passed,  for 
he  did  not  intend  to  leave  Nazareth  again.  A  happy  life  seemed 
opening  before  them  and  their  bright  little  Child,  among  green 
encircling  hills  that  sheltered  them  and  seemed  to  shut  out  the 
lower  world,  its  kings  and  soldiers. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  why  Jesus  was  taken  thither,  for 
He  lived  so  long  in  Nazareth  after  this,  that  people  said  He 
was  born  there  and  not  in  Bethlehem  ;  but  He  was  indeed  a 
little  Boy  able  to  walk  and  talk,  and  pluck  wild  flowers  when 
He  first  came  to  Nazareth. 


CHILDHOOD    IN    NAZARETH.  45 


CHILDHOOD    IN    NAZARETH. 

NAZARETH,  A.D.   2  TO    12. 

To  His  mother,  every  month  made  a  difference  in  her 
beautiful  Boy.  From  walking,  holding  by  her  hand,  He 
quickly  went  to  walking  alone,  and  then  to  running,  and  His 
litcle  baby  syllables  passed  almost  unnoticed  into  words  and 
sentences.  Wherever  His  mother  went.  He  went  with  her, 
holding  by  her  skirt  and  asking  questions  about  clouds,  the 
sun,  flowers,  birds,  bees,  and  running  off  to  chase  butterflies ; 
and  she  used  to  take  Him  into  the  woods,  where,  guided  by 
the  sound  of  His  father's  axe,  they  found  Joseph  cutting  down 
a  tree,  or  lopping  off  the  branches.  He  went  with  His  mother 
to  the  well,  and  was  delighted  on  looking  in,  to  see  His  own 
sweet  baby-face  looking  up  at  Him  from  the  dark  water,  and 
when  the  water  came  sparkling  up  in  her  pitcher  He  had  to 
have  a  drink  before  starting  for  home.  Thus  Summer  passed 
into  Winter,  and  Winter  into  Summer,  marked  to  Him  chiefly 
by  the  coming  and  the  fading  away  of  the  leaves  and  the  sweet 
field-flowers. 

As  years  went  by,  little  brothers  and  sisters  were  bom,  and 
Jesus  learned  to  play  by  Himself,  while  His  mother  took  care 
of  them.  Dressed  in  a  white  tunic,  with  bare  legs,  feet,  and 
head,  he  ran  about  in  the  sunshine,  plucking  flowers  and 
berries  for  His  little  brothers,  and  His  mother  rejoiced  to  see 
how  gentle  and  loving  He  was  with  them.  And  in  the 
evenings,  when  His  father  came  home  and  the  red  sun  went 
down  behind  the  purple  hills,  He  would  go  up  to  the  cool 
flat  roof  of  the  house  and  Hsten  to  wonderful  Bible  stories 
about  King  David  the  shepherd-boy,  and  Solomon  the  wise 
king,  and  the  little  child  Samuel,  who  lived  with  the  old  priest 
in  the  Tabernacle.  And  when  the  moon  rose,  and  the  stars 
came  out  in  glorious  array  in  the  deep  blue  sky.  He  was  told 
about  His  Father  in  Heaven,  whose  Son  He  was  ;  and  Joseph 
also  taught  Him  His  letters.  His  lesson-book  being  the  Bible, 
from  which  alone  little  children  were  taught. 


46  NEST    FINDING. 

When  he  was  six  years  of  age,  He  went  with  His  father  to 
the  village  church,  and  heard  the  solemn  prayers,  and  reading, 
and  singing  on  Sabbaths  and  on  Thursdays;  and  then  He 
went  to  school,  to  sit  with  other  little  boys  in  a  ring  upon  the 
floor,  and  repeat  Bible  verses  after  the  teacher,  until  He  knew 
them  off  by  heart.  But  He  learnt  far  more  in  the  open  fields, 
for  there  the  clouds,  stars,  wind,  flowers,  trees,  all  taught  Him. 
His  little  brothers  were  called  James,  Joses,  Jude,  and  Simon, 
but  His  sisters'  names  are  not  known ;  and  with  them  and  His 
cousins,  James  and  John,  and  the  other  village  children,  He 
would  run  races  on  the  grass,  and  play  games  round  the 
houses,  their  little  bodies  barely  covered  by  loose  white  and 
blue  tunics  in  Summer,  and  in  Winter  by  little  lamb-skins  with 
holes  for  their  arms.  And  when  He  stood,  with  the  children 
joining  hands  and  dancing  round  Him,  Mary  would  look  from 
a  distance,  and  sigh  as  she  saw  His  joyful  face.  He  was  a 
thorough  Child,  who  could  tumble  on  the  green  at  sundown 
with  His  companions,  and  gather  in  a  group  with  them  and 
chatter  till  bed  time,  as  only  children  do.  His  school  lessons 
were  no  easier  to  Him  than  to  other  children.  He  grew  tired 
with  running,  and  others  could  run  as  fast  as  He;  but  He 
was  always  happy, — a  perfect  Child. 

As  a  Boy,  He  was  obedient  to  His  father  and  mother,  and 
never  grieved  to  do  what  they  told  Him.  Taking  His  little 
brothers  into  the  fields  and  along  the  hedges.  He  would  show 
them  the  small  bird's  nest  under  the  green  leaves  or  in  the 
dry  grass ''i'ith  spotted  eggs  lying  among  the  brown  moss,  and 
would  tell  them  that  the  httle  bird  that  had  flown  away  would 
soon  return  again.  At  eight  years  of  age  He  could  fetch 
water  from  the  weU  for  His  mother,  and  help  His  father  a 
little  in  his  workshop,  handing  him  the  tools  he  needed,  and 
running  his  messages ;  and  in  the  evening  He  would  gather 
the  chips  of  wood  and  shavings  into  a  corner,  and  put  the 
tools  away  into  their  places.  Happy  years  !  Perhaps  the 
happiest  of  His  life,  when  all  the  world  seemed  beautiful  and 
good,  and  taught  Him  so  much ;  His  father  so  wise.  His 
mother  so  loving,  looking  at  Him  at  times  with  eyes  so  gentle 


HIS    FIRST    VISIT    TO    JERUSALEM.  47 

and  so  sad,  that  He  had  to  run  to  her  side  and  ask  if  He  had 
grieved  her.  But  great  thoughts  began  to  rise  in  His  young 
mind,  and  doubts,  as  to  whether  all  the  world  was  so  happy 
as  He  thought ;  and  why  His  httle  brothers  could  at  tinius  be 
disobedient,  and  wilful,  and  angry ;  and  why  some  children  had 
so  much  pain,  and  some  looked  so  old  and  sad.  And  when 
these  thoughts  like  clouds  passed  over  His  clear  mind.  He 
would  ask  His  father  about  them  but  could  not  understand 
his  answers ;  His  mother  seemed  to  know  better  what  He 
wanted.  Who  was  His  Father  in  Heaven,  to  whom  she  bade 
Him  pray  ?  Could  He  see  Him  ?  Could  He  hear  Him  ?  And 
yet  every  time  He  prayed  He  was  happier,  and  felt  sure  that 
His  Father  in  Heaven  was  watching  Him  and  helping  Him 
to  think  and  to  understand.  And  so  the  years  fled  past,  and 
from  a  tottering  Child  He  grew  to  be  a  tall,  thoughtful,  dark- 
eyed  Boy. 

And  thou  my  child,  be  happy  !  for  thou  wilt  never  be  more 
hke  the  young  Jesus  than  thou  art  now.  If  thou  dost  obey 
thy  father  and  mother,  and  art  gentle  to  thy  little  brothers  and 
sisters,  and  lovest  clouds,  flowers,  animals,  and  aU  beautiful 
things,  and  dost  pray  to  thy  Father  in  Heaven  to  make  thee 
good,  then  thou  wilt  be  like  one  of  the  Uttle  children  written 
of  in  the  beautiful  hymn,  which  says  : — 

And  such  the  child,  whose  early  feet 

The  paths  of  peace  have  trod, 
Whose  secret  heart,  with  influence  sweet 

Is  upward  drawn  to  God. 


HIS   FIRST  VISIT   TO   JERUSALEM. 

JERUSALEM,   APRIL,   A.D.    1 3. 

Many  Summers  and  Winters  had  come  and  gone  with  their 
flowers  and  their  snows  around  Nazareth,  and  the  boy  Jesus  was 
nearing  manhood.  He  was  now  twelve  years  of  age,  tall,  strong, 
beautiful,  for  boys  grow  up  much  sooner  in  that  country  than 
in  England  ;  and  He  was  said  to  be  old  enough  now  to  read  the 


48  MARCHING    SONGS. 

Bible  for  Himself,  and  to  be  called  a  "  son  of  the  Law."  The 
phylacteries,  which  are  Httle  parchment  boxes  full  of  verses  of 
the  Bible,  had  been  tied  upon  His  left  arm  and  brow  in 
the  village  church,  as  a  sign  that  He  was  of  age  to  think  for 
Himself,  and  go  to  the  great  religious  Festivals  at  Jerusalem. 

It  was  April,  and  the  great  seven  days  Festival,  called  the 
Passover,  was  near,  to  which  everybody  should  go,  and  for  the 
first  time  Jesus  was  to  go,  with  His  father  and  mother,  away 
beyond  the  hills,  with  crowds  of  people,  to  the  great  city — a 
memorable  event  for  a  boy.  Everywhere  the  people  had  been 
preparing  for  it  for  weeks  past,  sorting  the  roads,  mending  the 
bridges,  and  making  new  clothes  and  sandals,  and  cutting  fresh 
sticks,  for  it  was  the  most  joyful  Festival  of  the  year.  With 
much  stir  the  company  from  Nazareth,  all  in  their  bright  holiday 
dresses,  got  ready  their  horses,  camels,  and  asses,  for  some  one 
went  from  every  house  ;  and  in  the  early  morning,  Mary  riding 
on  the  ass,  and  Jesus,  stick  in  hand,  walking  joyfully  by  His 
father's  side,  they  started,  winding  down  the  broad  highland 
valley,  with  green  fields  spreading  away,  and  the  bright  Spring 
wild-flowers  nodding  in  the  breeze  by  the  roadside ;  while  from 
the  thick  hedges  came  the  song  of  birds.  A  bend  in  the  road, 
and  the  white  houses  of  the  village  were  hidden  from  view,  and 
soon,  a  joyful  company,  singing  glad  songs  to  the  music  of  the 
timbrel,  pipe,  and  drum,  they  marched  across  the  rich  plain  of 
Esdraelon.  Resting  at  noonday  under  green  trees,  in  the 
afternoon  they  started  refreshed,  and  travelled  until  evening, 
when  white  tents  were  put  up  and  the  evening  meal  prepared. 
Tired  with  walking,  Jesus  was  soon  asleep,  but  with  the  first 
light  of  day  the  march  was  resumed ;  and  as  they  went  along 
the  great  pubhc  roads,  they  were  joined  by  bands  of  people 
from  other  villages,  all  marching  to  the  same  Festival  at  Jeru- 
salem. 

The  fourth  day  was  the  greatest  of  all,  for  then  they  came 
within  sight  of  Jerusalem.  Having  toiled  up  the  wild,  hot, 
rugged  road  from  Jericho,  they  climbed  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
and  then  Joseph  would  tell  Jesus  to  look  out  for  the  most 
glorious  sight  in  the  world ;  and  as  they  followed  the  bend  of 


COMING    OVER    OLIVET.  49 

the  road  round  the  shoulder  of  the  hill,  suddenly  the  great  city 
in  all  its  magnificence  appeared,  like  a  dream  before  them.  It 
seemed  quite  near,  on  an  opposite  lower  hill,  with  a  deep 
ravine  between,  and  Jesus  could  see  it  all.  There,  stood  the 
great  thick  walls,  with  their  square  towers  of  defence ;  there, 
the  marble  palaces  of  kings,  priests,  and  governors ;  there,  the 
forts  and  castles  for  soldiers.  But  the  sun  shone  most  brightly 
on  the  Temple,  which  was  on  the  side  of  the  city  nearest  to 
Jesus,  like  a  mighty  cathedral  on  a  wall  of  white,  built  up 
from  the  ravine  below — colonnades,  cloisters,  porches,  pillars, 
arches,  and  outer  buildings  all  of  white  marble  ;  while  within 
the  great  open  square  stood  the  Holy  place,  terrace  rising 
above  terrace  in  white  and  gold,  and  high  above  all  was  the 
roof  of  bright  gold  reflecting  the  sun.  With  a  shout,  the 
company  from  Nazareth  burst  into  a  joyous  song,  waving 
green  branches  as  they  came  over  the  hill,  Jesus  singing 
with  the  rest,  for  truly  this  was  the  most  glorious  sight 
the  Boy  had  ever  seen.  And  He  gazed  at  it  as  they  de- 
scended the  hillside,  towards  the  bridge  across  the  Kedron, 
near  to  which  green  slope  of  Olivet  the  people  from  Galilee 
pitched  their  tents  for  the  night,  for  they  did  not  intend  to 
live  in  the  city,  which  was  already  crowded  with  people. 

In  the  morning,  as  soon  as  the  silver  trumpets  of  the 
priests  sounded  from  Mount  Moriah,  His  father  and  mother 
took  Jesus  into  the  city,  through  the  streets,  and  up  to  the 
Temple,  pointing  out  to  Him  its  great  brass  and  silver  doors 
and  coloured  marble  pillars  as  they  entered,  and  in  the  inner 
court,  the  altars  and  the  sacrifices ;  while  His  father  told 
Him  what  the  hundreds  of  white-robed  priests  and  Levites 
were  doing,  and  why  a  magnificent  coloured  curtain  hung 
over  the  door  of  the  Holy  place,  up  to  which  none  but  the 
priests  might  go.  Among  the  pillars  in  the  great  outer 
porches,  He  saw  the  aged  teachers  sitting,  with  people  stand- 
ing round  them  listening  to  them  as  they  taught  and  answered 
questions.  Day  after  day  the  boy  Jesus  went  up  to  these 
courts  crowded  with  gaily  dressed  people  from  all  parts  of  the 
country,   and  took  part  in  the  responses  and    singing,  and 


so 


FIRST    PASSOVER    FESTIVAL. 


listened  earnestly  to  the  old  doctors  of  the  law,  teaching 
from  the  Bible,  for  they  were  the  greatest  Teachers  in  the 
land,  and  soon  He  would  have  to  go  back  to  quiet  Nazareth 
again.  He  would  meet  His  cousin  John  there  also,  who,  like 
Him,  would  be  old  enough  to  come  to  his  first  Festival. 

Every  day  brought  something  new  of  which  He  had  often 
heard.  The  great  Temple  court  was  hung  with  beautiful  mats 
and  carpets  of  all  colours,  and  on  the  first  day  of  the  Festival, 
the  greatest  day  of  all,  at  a  signal  given  by  the  blowing  of 
rams'  horns.  He  saw  lambs  being  slain  in  thousands  upon 
the  coloured  pavement  of  the  Priests'  Court,  and  their  blood 
poured  from  golden  bowls  at  the  foot  of  the  high  stone  altar. 
And  on  that  first  night,  He  ate  the  Passover  supper  of  bitter 
herbs  and  roasted  lamb,  and  drank  the  wine  and  water,  and 
chanted  the  solemn  psalms  at  His  father's  side  as  He  had 
often  done  before.  On  the  second  day  of  the  Festival  He 
saw  the  first  sheaf  of  barley  cut  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Kedron  and  carried  in  triumph  into  the  city  amid  the  shouts 
of  the  people,  to  be  threshed  and  ground  into  flour  and  pre- 
sented as  an  offering  of  first  fruits  in  the  Temple.  The  third 
day  was  a  Sabbath  of  rest  and  quiet,  with  splendid  Temple 
services  from  singing  choirs  and  instruments ;  but  the  fourth, 
fifth,  and  sixth  days  were  days  of  rejoicing,  dancing,  singing, 
feasting,  buying,  selling,  and  seeing  friends,  on  which  days 
those  who  had  come  from  a  distance  began  to  leave  Jerusalem 
and  go  home  again.  The  seventh  and  last  day  of  the  Festival 
was  also  kept  as  a  Sabbath,  although  most  of  the  country 
people  had  left  by  that  time.  But  every  day  He  was  in 
Jerusalem,  and  went  to  hear  the  old  Teachers  in  the  Temple, 
for  what  they  said  was  more  to  Him  than  all  the  priests,  and 
sacrifices,  and  singing. 

And  'thou  wilt  remember  that  Jesus  first  went  from  home 
when  He  was  twelve  years  of  age,  and  that  He  went  to  the 
great  Passover  Festival  at  the  Golden  Temple. 


THE    TEACHERS    IN    THE    TEMPLE.  5 1 

THE   TEACHERS    IN    THE   TEMPLE. 

JERUSALEM,  APRIL,  A.D.    1 3. 

By  the  fourth  day,  the  greater  part  of  the  Festival  was  over, 
and  in  the  grey  morning,  before  the  first  rays  of  the  sun 
had  touched  the  Temple's  golden  roof,  the  white  tents  of 
the  Gahleans  on  the  slopes  of  Olivet  were  taken  down  and 
strapped  upon  camels,  and  when  the  rosy  dawn  lit  up  the 
Hebron  hills  the  band  from  Nazareth  was  wending  its  way 
homewards  over  the  quiet  Mount  of  Olives.  Jesus,  being  a 
strong  and  quick  Boy,  had  been  allowed,  during  the  Festival 
days,  to  go  and  come  from  the  Temple  as  he  wished,  and  He 
did  not  care  to  go  anywhere  else. 

The  Nazareth  people,  having  far  to  go,  left  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  half-holidays,  on  that  fourth  day,  and  after 
marching  down  the  steep  road  to  the  plains  near  the  beauti- 
ful town  of  Jericho,  they  were  about  to  stop  for  the  first 
night  when  Mary  recollected  that  she  had  not  seen  Jesus 
since  the  morning,  and  asked  His  father  if  he  had  seen  Him ; 
but  Joseph  answered  that  he  had  not.  Mary  did  not  doubt, 
however,  that  Jesus  was  with  the  other  children,  and  made 
inquiry  for  Him,  but  every  one  she  asked  said  they  had  not 
seen  the  Boy  since  they  started.  Getting  alarmed,  she  ran 
through  the  whole  company  of  the  people,  asking  for  Him, 
but  could  not  find  Him  anywhere.  Jesus  was  lost !  and  at 
once  all  sorts  of  wild  fears  rushed  into  her  mind.  Perhaps 
He  had  fainted  by  the  way,  and  was  lying  on  the  wild  Jericho 
road,  and  Mary  wept,  as  Joseph  and  she  hurried  back  to  look 
for  their  Boy.  They  asked  every  person  they  met  if  they  had 
seen  Jesus,  but  no  one  knew  anything  about  Him.  Oh  !  why 
had  she  been  so  careless  of  Him  in  the  confusion  and  dark- 
ness of  starting?  Perhaps  He  had  gone  with  the  wrong  band, 
and  was  now  far  away  on  another  road  ! 

Next  day  His  father  and  mother  were  back  at  Jerusalem, 
searching  among  the  tents  and  in  the  city,  sorrowing  as  they 


52  ASKING    QUESTIONS. 

went ;  but  they  could  get  no  tidings  of  Jesus.  They  went  up 
to  the  Temple  and  inquired  among  the  stalls  where  things 
were  sold,  among  the  crowds  who  watched  the  priests  or 
listened  to  the  Levites  and  the  white-robed  boys  singing  on 
the  steps  of  the  priests'  court ;  but  Jesus  was  not  there. 
Another  anxious  day  went  past,  and  on  the  third  day  they 
were  again  in  the  Temple,  seeking  Him,  among  the  richly 
ornamented  porches  where  the  old  Teachers  sat  on  bright 
carpets,  looking  out  upon  the  court  of  the  Gentiles,  and  teach- 
ing all  who  came.  Mary's  heart  beat  fast.  There  !  there  He 
was  !  with  His  bright  little  hoHday  jacket  which  she  had  made 
Him,  standing  among  a  group  of  men,  listening  with  beauti- 
ful earnest  face  to  all  that  was  being  said.  She  drew  near 
and  listened,  and  to  her  surprise  heard  His  sweet  Boy's  voice 
putting  earnest  questions  to  the  old  Teachers,  questions  which 
seemed  to  puzzle  and  annoy  them  as  He  stood  with  His  ruddy 
face  and  clear  dark  eyes  waiting  for  an  answer.  And  when  the 
Teachers  did  reply,  it  was  with  many  words  in  very  long  sen- 
tences, to  which  Jesus  listened  quietly  until  they  were  done, 
when  to  her  amazement  He  put  more  short  simple  questions, 
which  these  greatest  Teachers  in  the  land  seemed  to  find  it 
difficult  to  answer,  for  they  whispered  together,  and  looked  at 
slips  of  paper,  and  opened  large  rolls  of  old  brown  parchment, 
which  were  carried  about  on  sticks,  and  still  they  could  not 
satisfy  Him.  And  all  who  stood  by  were  astonished  at  the 
answers  of  Jesus  whenever  the  old  Teachers  asked  Him  a  ques- 
tion, for  tney  had  never  met  any  one  with  such  wisdom  and 
understanding  as  this  beautiful  Boy.  Mary  was  deeply  moved 
with  what  she  saw,  and  bending  forward,  she  stood  looking 
earnestly  at  Jesus,  till  at  length  He  saw  her,  and  at  a  sign 
came  over  to  her. 

"Son, -why  hast  Thou  done  so  with  us,"  she  said  in  a  low 
earnest  voice,  "  for  Thy  father  and  I  have  sought  for  Thee 
sorrowing?  "  She  thought  He  would  know  of  all  their  fears 
and  sorrows.     But  He  answered  innocently — 

"How  is  it  that  you  looked  for  Me?  Do  you  not  know 
that  I  must  be  in  My  heavenly  Father's  house  ?  "     But  He 


HE    LEARNS    TO    BE    A    CARPENTER.  53 

came  away  with  her,  leaving  the  old  Teachers  whispering  over 
their  parchments  and  papers,  wondering  who  He  was. 

His  mother  did  not  quite  understand  His  answer,  for  He 
meant  that  they  should  have  known  to  look  for  Him  in  His 
favourite  place  in  the  Temple ;  but  she  thought  of  the  words 
of  the  angel  long  ago,  and  knew  that  her  Boy  of  twelve  was 
already  preparing  for  the  great  life  which  was  before  Him,  and 
she  pondered  much  over  what  she  had  seen  that  day.  And 
as  they  walked  home  to  Nazareth,  He  told  them  that  He  had 
been  to  the  Temple  every  day  while  they  were  away,  and 
where  He  had  slept  at  night.  And,  following  the  Nazareth 
band,  they  were  home  not  many  days  after  them. 

What  a  memorable  visit !  He  went  away  a  country  Boy, 
and  returned  with  a  knowledge  of  the  great  Temple  and 
its  strange,  grand  services,  and  a  feehng  that  for  Him  there 
was  more  learning  out  under  the  bright  stars  and  among  the 
calm  green  hills,  than  in  that  crowded  Temple  and  among 
its  confused  and  unsatisfying  Teachers  ;  and  He  rejoiced  that 
He  lived  in  a  cottage  in  a  flowery  glen,  and  not  in  a  crowded 
city. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  the  fair-haired,  red-cheeked 
country  Boy  as  he  stood  unconfused  and  unafraid  before  the 
old  Teachers,  astonishing  them  with  His  wisdom  and  His 
innocence ;  for  there  is  not  a  child  but  can  teach  great  les- 
sons to  the  wisest  of  men,  if  he  be  gentle  and  good. 


HE    LEARNS   TO    BE   A   CARPENTER. 

NAZARETH,   A.D.    1 3   TO    3I. 

Jesus  had  much  to  tell  His  brothers  and  sisters  of  what  He 
saw  at  the  great  Festival  in  Jerusalem,  for  they  were  all  too 
young  to  go  to  a  festival :  of  the  silver  trumpets,  the  white- 
robed  singing  boys,  the  smoking  sacrifices,  and  something 
also  of  what  He  had  heard  from  the  old  Teachers  during  the 
three  days  when  He  was  alone. 

But  now  He  had  to  study  the  Bible,  and  His  daily  task 


54 


LEAVING    SCHOOL. 


for  the  next  year  or  two  was  to  learn  off  by  heart  the  lessons 
which  His  teacher  set  Him.  And  so  He  got  to  know  His 
Bible  thoroughly.  Children  had  to  sing  psalms  at  all  times 
of  rejoicing,  and  thus  He  learnt  to  sing.  He  also  learnt  to 
write,  but  His  writing  was  in  strange  figures,  practised  with 
a  sharp  stick  on  smooth  sand  on  the  ground,  more  Hke  print- 
ing. And  it  is  likely  that  before  He  finished  learning,  He 
knew  something  of  three  languages — Hebrew,  Greek,  and 
Aramaic ;  but  Aramaic  was  the  one  which  He  spoke.  His 
amusements  were  now  those  of  the  older  boys,  hill-cHmbing, 
nest-finding,  and  games  of  strength  and  skill,  and  going 
messages  for  His  parents.  But  at  length  the  time  came  when 
He  had  to  give  up  the  school  and  play,  and  begin  to  work. 
In  that  country  boys  soon  grow  up  to  be  men,  and  in  a  year 
after  His  visit  to  Jerusalem  Jesus  was  thirteen,  and  then  He 
was  looked  upon  as  a  young  man,  who  had  to  choose  what 
He  would  be,  for  every  boy  had  to  learn  a  trade.  Thou 
mayest  think  that  Jesus  had  no  need  for  a  trade,  or  if  He 
chose  one,  it  would  be  that  of  a  teacher.  But  what  trade  did 
He  choose?  A  gardener,  a  shepherd,  a  sailor,  a  carpenter, 
a  smith  ?  He  chose  to  be  what  His  father  was,  a  carpenter. 
That  seems  hard  work  for  such  a  Boy?  Wouldst  thou  like 
to  be  a  carpenter,  to  rise  early  and  go  to  bed  late,  and  work 
all  day  among  rough  wood  ?  But  He  was  not  afraid  of  hard 
work,  nor  should  any  boy  be,  if  it  be  useful  work.  So,  when 
He  was  about  fourteen  Jesus  left  school,  and  went  to  be  His 
father's  apprentice,  to  learn  how  to  use  the  saw  and  the  axe, 
the  chisel  and  the  hammer.  And  then  He  learnt  how  to  cut 
down  trees,  hew  off  the  branches,  and  carry  the  wood  to  the 
workshop,  and  saw  it  into  planks  and  blocks,  out  of  which  to 
make  houses,  boats,  oars,  boxes,  tables,  benches,  ploughs, 
yoking- for  oxen,  saddles,  and  every  kind  of  wooden  thing  that 
was  wanted.  This  He  found  hard  and  difficult,  for  at  first  He 
got  the  coarser  work  to  do,  while  His  father  finished  it  off 
neatly,  and  His  arms  were  not  so  strong  as  a  man's  arms.  His 
first  duty  was  to  do  whatever  His  father  told  Him,  and  as  He 
loved  His  father,  thou  mayest  feel  sure  He  learnt  quickly. 


HIS    FATHERS    WORKSHOP.  55 

Take  a  peep  into  the  open  workshop  at  Nazareth  on  this 
warm  Summer  day.  There  is  the  rough  bench  in  the  middle, 
to  work  on,  with  the  tools  scattered  over  it.  Planks  of  wood 
are  piled  up  at  one  side  to  dry,  and  the  floor  is  strewn  with 
shavings,  and  sawdust,  and  spales,  and  ends  of  wood.  Bend- 
ing at  the  bench  is  Joseph  the  father,  with  brown  face  and 
strong  arms,  fitting  pieces  together  into  the  shape  of  a  box, 
and  knocking  them  close  with  a  heavy  wooden  mallet.  On 
the  other  side  of  the  bench  is  the  tall  beautiful  form  of  the 
Youth  Jesus,  with  His  sweet  gentle  face  so  like  His  mother's, 
watching  closely  all  that  His  father  does,  now  holding  the 
wood  to  steady  it,  and  now  handing  him  the  tool  that  he 
requires ;  or  going  away  to  measure  a  plank  and  cut  off  a 
piece  of  the  right  size,  and  bring  it  to  him.  The  sun  beats 
warmly  upon  the  roof  of  the  shed,  and  as  the  wind  blows 
through,  it  stirs  the  shavings  and  cools  the  workers.  Is  it  not 
a  pleasant  sight  ?  The  strong  man  and  the  beautiful  Youth, 
father  and  Son,  working  cheerfully  together,  Jesus  helping  His 
father  to  make  enough  money  to  buy  bread  and  clothes  for 
the  little  brothers  and  sisters,  and  gentle  mother  at  home.  In 
that  shed  they  work  until  the  evening,  and  when  it  grows  too 
dark  to  see,  the  sound  of  the  hammer  ceases,  the  saw  is  laid 
aside,  the  work  stops  for  another  day,  and  they  walk  down 
the  village  street  home  to  the  evening  meal  which  Mary 
has  prepared.  Work  like  this  is  good,  and  thou,  my  child, 
whether  thou  art  rich  or  poor,  prince  or  peasant,  shouldst 
learn  to  do  rough  work  when  a  boy,  nor  think  that  working 
with  thy  hands,  which  is  the  hardest  and  commonest  of  work, 
is  too  mean  for  thee  to  do,  for  Jesus  did  it. 

Day  after  day,  year  after  year.  Summer  and  Winter  found 
Jesus  at  this  work,  out  fresh  and  early  in  the  morning,  and 
returning  tired  at  night,  but  happy  with  having  done  His  best. 
When  His  father  was  not  busy  He  had  hours  and  days  to 
Himself  in  which  He  went  where  He  pleased.  And  once 
every  year,  in  the  Spring  time.  He  went  again  with  His  father 
to  the  great  Passover  Festival  at  Jerusalem,  where  He  would 
often  meet  His   cousin   John  from    Hebron,  and  when    His 


56  WALKING    AMONG    THE    HILLS. 

brothers  were  old  enough  they  went  with  Him.  He  also 
went  to  some  of  the  other  Festivals  there,  and  never  missed 
going  to  the  Golden  Temple.  And  every  Sabbath  day  and 
many  Thursdays  also,  He  went  to  the  village  church  in 
Nazareth,  and  took  part  in  the  worship. 

When  He  had  leisure  from  His  work,  He  loved  to  walk 
among  the  gardens,  fields,  and  vineyards  in  the  valley  of 
Nazareth,  learning  all  He  could,  for  He  was  fond  of  flowers, 
and  talked  with  the  gardeners  who  were  training  the  roses, 
lilies,  and  hollyhocks,  tending  the  vines  and  olives,  and  prun- 
ing the  orange  and  fig  and  apple  trees.  In  ^Spring  He 
marked  the  flowers  which  first  appeared,  the  crocus,  hyacinth, 
and  white  wild  rose,  and  saw  them  increasing  in  number 
and  in  colour  as  they  spread  their  red  and  yellow  and  pur- 
ple blooms  over  the  fields  and  hedges,  and  He  watched  them 
fade  and  wither  away  in  the  parching  heat  of  Summer.  He 
saw,  too,  the  farmers  ploughing  and  breaking  up  the  ground, 
and  scattering  the  wheat  and  barley  seed,  and  noticed  how 
the  birds  flew  down  and  pecked  up  what  fell  on  the  hard 
footpaths  through  the  fields,  and  saw  the  countless  tangled 
weeds,  that  gave  so  much  trouble.  Sometimes  He  walked 
down  to  the  Lake-side  and  saw  the  sailors  fishing,  and  the 
storms  of  wind  that  suddenly  lashed  the  water  into  hissing 
waves.  And  when  He  walked  among  the  thymy  hills.  He 
marked  the  long-eared  sheep  following  their  shepherd,  and 
runnip";  to  him  when  he  called ;  and  saw  him,  when  a  little 
lamb  was  too  weak  to  walk,  carrying  it  in  his  arms.  Often, 
too,  He  saw  the  dawn  stealing  over  the  sky,  flushing  the 
grey  clouds  with  rose,  and  fringing  them  with  saffron;  and 
watched  the  gathering  clouds  of  evening  changing  from  crim- 
son to  purple,  as  they  rested  above  the  hills  where  the  sun  had 
gone  down,  and  often,  too.  He  waited  ou^  in  the  dark  silent 
valley,  until  the  red  planets  and  sparkling  stars  came  out  into 
the  violet  sky. 

Year  after  year  went  by,  the  Youth  became  a  Man,  and  at 
twenty  years  of  age  He  had  learnt  His  trade  of  a  carpenter, 
and  was  full  grown  and  strong,  and   able   to   lift   as  heavy 


GREAT    THOUGHTS.  57 

weights  as  His  father;  and  it  is  thought  by  some  that  His 
father  died  about  this  time.  Then  Jesus  came  to  be  called 
the  Carpenter  of  Nazareth.  And  as  He  grew  older  He  in- 
creased in  wisdom. 

Amid  the  quiet  of  the  hills  He  meditated  much  upon  the 
life  that  was  before  Him,  and  upon  the  ways  of  men.  Many 
things  perplexed,  and  some  things  grieved  Him.  He  heard 
the  religious  Teachers  say  that  the  people  could  only  be 
good  by  beheving  their  words  and  obeying  their  commands. 
And  they  laid  so  many  rules  upon  the  people  that  they  were 
oppressed  beyond  endurance,  for  their  Teachers  had  some- 
thing which  they  said  they  should  do  every  hour  of  the  day  or 
night,  so  that  if  a  man  were  to  try  to  obey  all  they  said,  he 
would  have  time  for  nothing  else.  He  saw  that  these  were 
false  Teachers  and  false  priests,  who  made  it  quite  impossible 
for  men  to  be  what  they  called  good ;  and  that  they  did  not 
do  themselves  what  they  ordered  the  people  to  do.  This 
was  hateful  and  wicked,  for  Jesus  knew  that  to  be  good  was 
a  simple  and  lovely  thing,  and  not  a  thing  which  had  ten 
thousand  rules  to  be  remembered  and  kept,  and  He  thought 
that  He  would  like  to  banish  these  countless  rules  of  men, 
and  teach  the  simple  way  to  be  good  that  was  in  His  heart. 
To  do  this.  He  would  have  to  give  up  being  a  carpenter.  And 
He  thought  of  the  Christ  written  about  in  the  Bible,  and 
whom  the  people  believed  would  be  the  Saviour  of  their 
nation.  But  He  did  not  feel  that  He  was  ready  for  this  great 
task. 

As  He  grew  older,  the  state  of  His  fellow-men  and  their 
false  priests  and  Teachers  almost  constantly  filled  His  mind, 
and  He  prepared  Himself  in  every  way  for  the  time  when 
He  should  feel  called  upon  to  begin  this  great  work  as  a 
Teacher  of  the  Truth,  and  He  read  and  studied  the  Bible  till 
He  knew  it  all,  and  read  other  books  also.  He  loved  more 
than  ever  to  meditate  alone  in  his  walks  through  the  fields  and 
among  the  hills.  There  He  saw  the  gardeners  in  their  vine- 
yards plucking  the  purple  clusters  of  ripe  grapes  and  casting 
them  in  heaps  into  their  tubs,  and  cnishing  the  juice  from  them 


58  HE    LEAVES    NAZARETH. 

for  wine ;  and  there  He  saw  the  wheat  fields  waving  with 
yellow  grain  ready  for  harvesting ;  and  at  the  Lake-side  He 
saw  the  fishermen  pulling  in  their  nets  filled  with  gUttering 
fishes.  And  when  evening  found  Him  among  the  hills,  and  the 
sun  went  down  and  the  stars  came  throbbing  out,  He  felt  more 
than  ever  alone,  and  different  from  other  people,  and  would 
sit  thinking  and  praying  to  His  Father  in  Heaven  to  make 
plain  what  He  should  do. 

For  fourteen  years  he  worked  as  a  village  tradesman, 
among  the  hills  and  fields  and  country  people  of  Nazareth, 
until  He  was  thirty,  learning  lessons  from  the  clouds  and 
wind,  seed-time  and  harvest,  and  waiting  on  the  will  of  God. 
And  these,  my  child,  are  the  best  teachers  a  man  can  have,  if 
only  his  mind  is  open  to  their  deep  influence,  and  he  waits  in 
silence  upon  his  Father  in  Heaven  to  learn  what  He  wishes 
him  to  do. 


HE    LEAVES    NAZARETH. 

FORDS   OF  JORDAN,   WINTER,  A.D.    3I, 

His  Cousin  John,  the  son  of  Elisabeth  of  Hebron,  was  now 
a  man  of  over  thirty,  being  six  months  older  than  Jesus,  and 
he  was  of  a  strange,  wild  appearance.  His  tunic  was  of  rough 
camel's  hair,  bound  round  his  waist  with  a  leather  belt,  his  face 
was  bre'r^n  with  the  sun,  his  eyes  dark  and  glowing,  and  his 
hair  hung  down  on  his  shoulders,  having  never  been  cut.  He 
lived  in  lonely  places,  away  from  the  people,  had  never  tasted 
wine,  and  a  kind  of  large  fly  called  locusts  and  wild  honey  were 
his  food,  and  at  this  time  he  came  again  among  the  people, 
saying  that  he  had  this  message  from  God  to  tell  them,  that 
the  Christ,  the  Deliverer  of  their  nation,  would  shortly  appear, 
and  they  wondered  much  at  him.  He  said  he  had  come  to 
fulfil  those  words  written  by  Isaiah  in  the  Bible  long  before. 
That  he  was — 

"  The  voice  of  one  that  crieth  in  the  wilderness, 
Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord  ! 


JOHN    AT   THE    JORDAN.  59 

Make  straight  in  the  desert  a  highway  for  our  God  ! 
Every  valley  shall  be  raised,  and  every  mountain  and  hill 

shall  be  made  low, 
And  the  crooked  shall  be  made  straight,  and  the  rough 

places  plain ; 
And  the  glory  of  God  shall  be  shown,  and  all  men  shall 

see  it  together : 
For  God  hath  spoken  it !  " 
And  that  he  had  come  to  fulfil  those  words  of  Malachi 
also,  in  the  last  book  of  the  Bible. 

"  Behold  !  I  will  send  my  messenger,  and  he  shall  prepare 
the  way  before  me  : 
And  the  Lord,  whom  ye  seek,  shall  come  suddenly  to  his 

Temple, 
Even   the   messenger    of    the   covenant,   in   whom   you 

delight : 
Behold  !  he  shall  come,  saith  God.'* 
On  the  banks  of  the  river  Jordan,  not  far  from  Jericho,  stand- 
ing upon  a  raised  place  above  the  people,  John  spoke  daily 
in  the  open  air  with  such  earnestness,  and  looked  so  strange, 
that  crowds  came  to  hear  him.  Then  coming  down  from  the 
higher  ground  and  wading  into  the  river  he  baptized  all  who 
came  to  him,  bathing  them  in  the  water  or  sprinkling  it  upon 
their  heads  as  a  sign  that  they  had  repented  of  their  wicked- 
ness ;  which  was  a  common  thing  for  the  priests  at  the  temple 
to  do.  And  his  preaching  and  his  message  were  so  strange 
and  stirring  that  the  people  of  the  country  began  to  speak 
about  John,  and  to  call  him  the  Baptist,  because  of  the  way 
he  baptized  them. 

John  knew  Jesus.  Their  mothers  were  friends,  and  John's 
mother  had  told  him  what  a  wonderful  person  Jesus  would  be, 
while  Jesus  had  heard  of  the  angel  that  appeared  to  John's 
father,  to  tell  him  that  his  son  would  be  a  great  Teacher ; 
but  John  had  been  living  in  lonely  places,  and  they  had 
not  met  for  years.  Jesus  heard  at  Nazareth  the  news  that 
was  stirring  the  people ;  that  John,  His  strange  cousin, 
had    appeared   dressed    in    camel's-hair   raiment,   and    was 


6o  PARTING    FROM    HIS    MOTHER. 

teaching  and  baptizing  at  the  Fords  of  Jordan,  and  telUng  the 
people  that  the  Christ  would  soon  appear,  and  Jesus  felt  that 
the  time  had  come  when  he  should  give  up  being  a  Carpenter 
and  go  and  teach,  for  He  was  now  thirty,  the  age  at  which 
the  old  Teachers  at  Jerusalem  said  a  young  man  might  begin 
to  teach.  What  a  sorrowful  hour  would  the  last  be  which 
Jesus  spent  with  His  mother  !  He  would  tell  her  that  John 
had  been  teaching  for  some  time,  and  that  He  must  go  and 
do  His  part  of  the  great  work  of  teaching  the  people,  of  which 
He  had  so  often  told  her. 

See  her,  as  she  comes  with  Him  out  of  the  litde  door  of 
their  house,  along  the  village  street,  and  down  the  footpath 
through  the  vale.  Her  hand  is  on  His  arm,  and  the  face  which 
she  turns  to  His  looks  older,  for  she  is  forty-five  now,  though 
still  sweet  and  beautiful.  He  is  tall  and  strong  and  His  step 
firm,  as  He  gently  supports  His  mother,  and  speaks  words  of 
consolation  to  her.  They  go  by  field  and  hedge  till  a  turn  in 
the  path  hides  them  from  view.  A  little  later,  and  the  same 
bend  of  the  road  shows  a  woman's  figure  returning  alone.  It 
is  Mary.  She  walks  slowly,  and  her  head  is  bent  as  though 
weeping,  for  she  has  parted  from  her  Son,  and  her  heart  is 
full  of  fears.  It  is  always  very  sad  for  a  mother  when  her  son 
leaves  her  to  go  out  alone  into  the  world,  and  when  thou,  my 
child,  art  called  upon  to  this,  I  trust  thou  wilt  treat  thy  mother 
with  all  the  tenderness  that  thy  heart  can  give,  for  she  will 
need  it  ^H. 

Jesus  was  going  to  join  John  at  the  Jordan,  as  many  young 
men  were  doing,  and  it  would  take  Him  about  three  days 
to  walk  thither.  He  was  dressed  as  a  young  countryman, 
with  a  long  inner  tunic  of  soft  white  cloth  gathered  at  the 
neck  and  coming  down  to  His  feet,  and  over  that  a  loose 
cloak  of  thick  grey  or  blue  stuff  to  wrap  round  Him  in 
cold  weather,  and  He  had  common  Winter  shoes  buckled 
on  His  feet,  and  a  long  stick  in  His  hand.  The  banks 
of  the  Jordan  are  often  high  and  rocky,  but  at  some  parts 
they  are  in  terraces,  coming  down  to  low  soft,  level  parts, 
overhung  with   drooping  trees,  and    then   the    river   spreads 


BAPTIZED    IN    THE    JORDAN.  6 1 


out  shallow  enough  for  horses  to  wade  through.  It  was 
Winter,  and  the  river  was  deep  and  full  of  water  flowing 
cold  as  ice,  and  day  after  day  John  preached  at  the  same 
place  to  fresh  crowds. 

Another  day  has  begun  at  the  Fords.  John  is  standing 
upon  the  terraced  bank,  with  the  broad  river  flowing  at  his 
feet,  his  wild  figure  showing  clear  against  the  blue  morn- 
ing sky,  a  crowd  before  him.  Lawyers,  Pharisees,  soldiers, 
shepherds,  fishermen  who  have  walked  up  from  the  Lake, 
gardeners,  carpenters,  vine-dressers,  dyers,  weavers,  smiths, 
bankers  and  beggars,  rich  and  poor,  women  and  children, 
all  listening  to  the  strange  young  man,  who  calls  upon  them 
to  repent  of  their  wickedness  and  be  baptized  "  there,"  and 
he  points  with  bare  arm  to  the  river  below.  He  had  told 
them  before,  that  the  Christ  would  soon  appear,  but  to-day 
he  says — 

"  Among  you  there  standeth  One  whom  ye  know  not,  He 
that  is  to  come  after  me,  the  buckle  of  whose  shoe  I  am  not 
worthy  to  unloose."  In  their  midst !  And  each  man  looked 
at  his  neighbour ; — but  they  would  soon  know.  When  John 
finished  speaking  he  went  down  into  the  river  again,  and 
baptized  all  who  came  to  him,  which  was  considered  a  very 
solemn  thing.  While  he  was  doing  this  a  young  man, 
dressed  in  the  plain  white  tunic  and  outer  cloak  of  a  country- 
man of  Galilee,  came  from  the  crowd  and  stood  at  the  edge 
of  the  river,  quietly  waiting  and  watching  John.  He  had  been 
in  the  crowd  hstening,  and  now  He  wished  to  be  baptized. 
When  He  came  into  the  water,  John  looked  earnestly  at  Him, 
and  something  told  him  that  this  was  Jesus  the  Christ,  and 
he  refused  to  baptize  Him,  for  he  knew  that  Jesus  had  no 
wickedness  to  confess. 

"  I  need  rather  to  be  baptized  by  Thee,"  he  exclaimed  in  a 
voice  of  astonishment,  "and  comest  Thou  to  me?" 

"Allow  it  now,"  Jesus  replied  quietly  ;  "  for  it  becometh  us 
to  fulfil  all  righteousness." 

Then  John  baptized  Him,  and  as  Jesus  went  up  out  of  the 
water  He  prayed,  and  the  Heavens  were  opened  to  Him,  and 


62  ALONE    IN    THE    DESERT. 

He  saw  the  Spirit  of  God  coming  down  in  the  shape  of  a 
Dove,  and  it  rested  upon  His  head,  abiding  with  Him.  John 
saw  it  also,  and  the  Voice  of  God  spoke  to  Jesus  from  Heaven, 
saying — 

"  Thou  art  My  beloved  Son,  in  Thee  I  am  well  pleased." 
I  know  not  whether  the  people  saw  the  Spirit-Dove.  They 
heard  the  strange  thunder-voice ;  but  Jesus  alone  understood 
the  meaning,  for  it  was  an  answer  to  His  prayer.  And  min- 
gling with  the  people  again.  He  went  quietly  away.  In  the  dusk 
of  evening  the  crowds  dispersed  to  their  homes,  talking  of  all 
they  had  seen  and  heard,  and  some  wondered  who  this  great 
Person  could  be  of  whom  John  spoke.  Whether  the  Christ 
would  come  soon,  and  if  He  would  be  a  king ;  not  knowing 
that  He  had  been  in  the  midst  of  them  that  day.  Others 
talked  of  the  loud  noise  they  had  heard  in  the  skies,  and 
wondered  if  it  had  anything  to  do  with  the  young  Man  who 
was  being  baptized  at  that  time.  But  John  remained  behind 
until  darkness  came  on,  and  the  stars  were  reflected  in  the 
broad  river,  thinking  of  Jesus,  of  the  Dove,  of  the  Heavens 
opening,  of  the  Voice — thinking  deeply  and  joyfully,  and 
worshipping  God  in  silence. 

And  whither  did  Jesus  go,  when  he  walked  away  alone? 
On,  on,  away  from  men,  away  from  the  people,  out  into 
the  wild  desert  country  beyond  the  Dead  Sea.  He  felt  the 
Spirit  of  God  strong  within  Him,  and  His  heart  beat  fast  as 
He  thought  of  the  message  which  He  had  heard  that  day. 
Great  and  deep  thoughts  were  rising  in  His  mind,  and  He 
wished  to  go  away  by  Himself,  to  think  and  to  pray.  And 
when  the  moon  and  stars  came  out.  He  was  walking  alone, 
away  from  the  homes  of  men,  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God  into 
the  wilderness. 

Remember,  my  child,  how  the  Spirit  of  God  came  to  Jesus, 
and  know  that  His  Spirit  will  also  come  to  thee  if  thou  dost 
ask  Him :  not  as  a  Dove,  not  with  a  sound,  but  felt,  though 
unseen.  And  in  moments  of  silent  waiting  upon  Him  thou 
wilt  hear  a  voice  within  thee  saying,  "Thou  art  My  child," 
and  the  voice  is  the  voice  of  God. 


TEMPTED    IN    THE    WILDERNESS.  63 

TEMPTED   IN   THE   WILDERNESS. 

DEAD    SEA,    WINTER,   A.D.    3I. 

Jesus  went  into  the  wilderness  beyond  the  Dead  Sea  ;  a  wild 
region  of  rocky  hills  and  sand.  Night  came  on,  and  when  He 
sat  down  to  rest,  all  was  silent,  save  the  wind  blowing  through 
the  dry  grass,  and  the  scream  of  a  distant  wild  beast. 

When  the  dawn  came,  He  rose  and  went  deeper  into  the 
wilderness,  where  the  wolf,  the  wild  boar,  the  tiger,  and  the  lion 
walked  about  in  daylight.  Day  after  day  passed,  and  He  was 
with  them  alone.  The  Hon  would  lift  his  shaggy  head  and 
glare  at  Him  as  He  passed.  Gentleness  can  tame  a  lion. 
During  these  lonely  days  and  nights  He  was  thinking,  thinking, 
and  praying  to  God  to  make  plain  the  work  which  He  had  to 
do,  until  deep  in  His  heart  he  settled  the  few  great  principles 
which  were  to  guide  Him,  which  He  was  to  teach,  and  from 
which  He  never  swerved  in  all  His  trials.  For  forty  days  He 
was  there,  and  then  He  was  ready  to  return,  and  begin  His 
work  among  the  people  with  a  calm  and  settled  mind,  knowing 
that  He  was  the  Son  of  God.  But  He  was  to  be  tried  before 
returning — He  was  to  be  tempted  to  do  wickedness.  The 
Spirit  of  Evil,  which  is  called  Devil,  Satan,  Tempter,  Lucifer, 
Evil  One,  and  by  many  other  names  in  difterent  countries, 
tempted  Jesus  to  give  up  these  good  principles,  and  to  take 
wicked  ones  instead  ;  to  be  guided  by  the  Spirit  of  Evil  rather 
than  by  the  Spirit  of  Good,  as  a  much  more  likely  way  to  suc- 
ceed in  the  world.  For,  if  He  did  just  a  little  wickedness,  the 
Tempter  said.  He  would  have  many  people  with  Him,  while,  if 
He  did  good  only,  many  people  would  be  against  Him.  He 
was  hungry  and  weak,  and  this  thought  entered  His  mind — 

"If  Thou  art  the  Son  of  God,  command  this  stone  to 
become  Bread." 

At  first  Jesus  was  inclined  to  do  it,  and  then  He  felt  that  it 
would  be  wrong.  His  powers  had  been  given  Him,  not  to 
make  food  for  Himself,  not  to  work  wonders  for  Himself,  but 
for  far  higher  purposes,  and  He  found  a  complete  answer  to 


64  THE    SPIRIT    OF    EVIL. 

the  wicked  suggestion  in  these  words  of  the  book  of  Deuter- 
onomy in  the  Bible. 

"  Man  doth  not  Hve  by  bread  only,  but  by  every  word  that 
cometh  from  God,  doth  he  live." 

His  Father  in  Heaven  could  sustain  Him,  and  He  ought  to 
obey  Him  alone ;  and  this  suggestion  was  not  from  God. 

But  the  temptation  returned.  This  time  it  was  a  vision. 
In  it  the  Spirit  of  Evil,  taking  the  shape  of  a  Tempter,  seemed 
to  carry  Jesus  to  a  high  tower  of  the  Golden  Temple  over- 
looking a  deep  valley,  and  to  say — 

"  If  Thou  art  the  Son  of  God,  cast  Thyself  down,  for  it  is 
written  in  the  book  of  Psalms, 

"  For  He  shall  give  His  angels  charge  over  Thee ; 
To  keep  Thee  in  all  Thy  ways. 
They  shall  bear  Thee  up  in  their  hands. 
Lest  Thou  dash  Thy  foot  against  a  stone." 

At  first  this  promise  of  the  Bible  seemed  an  encouragement 
to  perform  the  wonder.  But  no.  It  was  a  wicked  suggestion. 
He  would  never  try  to  prove  by  empty  display  that  He  was 
the  Son  of  God,  nor  needlessly  put  Himself  in  danger.  And, 
recollecting  other  words  of  the  Bible  in  the  book  of  Deuter- 
onomy, spoken  by  Moses  to  the  Jews  long  ago,  which  answered 
these.  He  banished  the  Tempter  and  the  vision  together,  as 
He  repeated  them — 

"  You  shall  not  tempt  the  Lord  your  God  as  you  tempted 
him  in  Massah."     Jesus  knew  that  He  was  being  tempted. 

But  He  was  tempted  a  third  time,  and  in  a  far  more  danger- 
ous way.  Again  it  is  a  vision.  Again  the  Spirit  of  Evil, 
as  a  Tempter,  seemed  to  carry  Him  to  the  top  of  a  high 
mountain,  and  to  show  Him  the  most  wonderful  panorama 
that  has  ever  been  thought  of.  For  an  instant  all  the  king- 
doms of  'the  world,  their  glory  of  mountains,  rivers,  plains, 
cities,  armies,  kings,  princes,  lovely  women,  riches  of  gold 
and  rubies,  seemed  to  spread  out  glittering  before  Him,  and 
vanish  again  as  the  Tempter  said — 

"  All  these  things,  and  the  glory  of  them,  and  all  this  power 
hath  been  given  to  me,  and  I  can  give  it  to  whom  I  will.     I 


BEGONE,    TEMPTER  !  65 

will  give  it  to  Thee  if  Thou  wilt  fall  down  and  worship  me, 
and  it  shall  be  Thine."  Jesus  wished  to  persuade  the  whole 
world  to  love  God  and  follow  goodness,  to  become  a  Kingdom 
of  God,  and  now  He  was  tempted  to  take  what  seemed  a 
quicker  way  to  bring  about  this  glorious  end.  But  He  would 
have  to  begin  by  acknowledging  that  wickedness  was  higher 
than  goodness.  In  that  panorama  of  the  world,  wickedness 
seemed  the  most  powerful  thing — as  though  the  world  were 
all  governed  and  moved  by  it,  and  that,  if  He  could  but  get 
hold  of  the  springs  of  wickedness.  He  might  turn  them  into 
goodness  and  have  them  upon  His  side.  Was  it  not  hopeless, 
with  gentle  persuasion  only,  to  attempt  the  struggle?  Why 
not  use  force,  be  a  king,  and  conquer?  But  all  temptations 
are  founded  on  falsehood.  Wickedness  was  not  the  greatest 
power  in  the  world.  To  conciliate  wickedness  would  never 
turn  it  into  goodness.  Universal  good  could  never  spring 
from  one  wrong  act.  Thus  Jesus  combated  the  suggestion, 
while  the  world's  prizes — crowns,  kingdoms — seemed  within 
grasp.  While  earthly  kings  founded  their  kingdoms  by  force 
of  war,  it  was  not  thus  that  He  would  spread  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven  in  the  world.  The  impulse  to  wickedness  subsided. 
Again  He  recollected  a  few  words  of  the  Bible,  also  from 
Deuteronomy. 

"Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  Him  only 
shalt  thou  serve."  How  could  He  think  of  serving  the  Spirit 
of  Evil  or  obeying  any  but  the  voice  of  His  Father  in  Heaven  ! 

"  Begone,  Tempter  !  "  And  with  these  words  the  Spirit  of 
Evil  was  silenced  and  tempted  Him  no  more.  Goodness  had 
triumphed  !  In  these  temptations  Jesus  felt  the  impulse  to  do 
evil  that  good  might  follow — the  form  of  wickedness  which 
overcomes  many  good  people.  Humility,  simplicity,  love, 
truth,  peace,  self-denial,  persuasion — these  Jesus  chose.  Pride, 
riches,  hatred,  falsehood,  war,  force — these  He  rejected.  Think 
not  that  this  was  an  easy  victory,  for  Jesus  felt  the  allurements 
of  the  world  like  an  ordinary  man,  but  He  resolved  to  meet 
wickedness,  not  with  wickedness,  but  to  conquer  it  with  good. 
There  is  nothing  better  than  silent  solitary  waiting  upon  God 


66  HE    CHOOSES    FIVE    DISCIPLES. 

for  making  our  duty  clear,  and  so  Jesus  became  possessed  of 
a  deep  calm  certainty  of  purpose  which  nothing  could  shake. 

And  when  the  temptations  were  over,  we  are  told  that 
angels  came  with  their  great  white  wings  and  gave  Jesus  food 
and  strengthened  Him. 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  remember  thy  Bible  when  thou 
art  beset  with  wicked  suggestions,  for  there  thou  wilt  find 
precious  words  that  will  strengthen  thee  against  them.  And 
forget  not  that  the  best  and  purest  of  people  are  tempted  to 
wickedness. 


HE   CHOOSES   FIVE   DISCIPLES. 

JORDAN,   SPRING,  A.D.    3I. 

On  His  return  from  the  wilderness,  Jesus  went  again  to 
John,  who  was  now  at  a  different  part  of  the  Jordan,  called 
Bethabara,  just  outside  of  Judaea.  He  had  been  away  about 
six  weeks,  and  in  sheltered  parts  the  fresh  green  leaves  were 
beginning  to  clothe  the  trees  at  the  river  side.  During 
that  time  some  priests  sent  from  Jerusalem  had  come  to 
John,  demanding  to  know  what  he  meant  by  his  teaching,  to 
which  John  had  replied  that  he  meant  to  warn  them  of  the 
coming  of  the  Christ.  There  was  again  a  crowd  of  people 
round  John,  when  Jesus  came  towards  him. 

"  See  the  Lamb  of  God  which  taketh  away  the  wickedness 
of  the  worial"  John  exclaimed,  pointing  to  Jesus.  And  all 
the  people  looked  at  Jesus,  as  John  continued,  "  This  is  He 
of  whom  I  said,  'After  me  there  will  come  a  man  who  is 
before  me  :  for  He  was  before  me.'  "  Then  speaking  of  the 
time  when  He  baptized  Jesus,  he  went  on :  "I  did  not 
know  Him,  but  I  saw  the  Spirit  of  God  coming  down  like  a 
Dove  out  of  Heaven,  and  it  rested  on  Him,  and  then  I  knew 
Him,  for  God  said  to  me,  '  Upon  whom  thou  shalt  see  the 
Spirit  coming  down  and  resting,  that  is  He.'  I  have  seen  it, 
and  I  have  said  that  He  is  the  Son  of  God."  But  the  people 
did  not  believe  John,  for  they  expected  that  the  Christ  would 


ANDREW,    JOHN,    PETER,    PHILIP.  6^ 

be  a  king.  This  was  only  a  young  countryman,  with  com- 
mon cloak  and  shoes,  and  they  thought  John  was  speaking 
foohshness. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day,  about  four  o'clock,  as 
John  was  standing  with  Andrew  and  John,  two  of  his  com- 
panions, Jesus  walked  past,  and,  looking  after  him,  John 
said  to  them — 

''  See  the  Lamb  of  God  !  "  And  these  two  men  left  John 
and  followed  Jesus  along  the  road,  till  turning  round  Jesus 
saw  them  following,  and  said — 

"  What  do  you  seek?  "  They  wished  to  know  where  He 
lived,  and  repHed — 

"  Master,  where  dost  Thou  live  ?  "  Jesus  looked  at  the  men 
who  thus  called  Him  Master,  and  said  gendy — 

"Come  and  see."  And  thus  invited  the  men  went  with 
Him,  perhaps  to  a  small  hut  of  mats,  stretched  upon  sticks, 
made  by  the  young  Carpenter  Himself,  and  they  went  in  and 
stayed  with  him.  Now,  these  were  the  first  men  who  came 
to  Jesus  or  ever  called  Him  Master.  Andrew  had  an  elder 
brother  called  Peter,  and  both  of  them  were  fishermen  from 
Bethsaida  at  the  Lake-side  in  Galilee,  and  Andrew  went  and 
told  Peter  that  they  had  found  Jesus,  the  man  of  whom  John 
spoke,  and  brought  him  to  Jesus.  Looking  upon  him  kindly, 
Jesus  called  him  by  his  name  and  spoke  of  his  father,  and 
Peter  remained,  and  afterwards  became  His  chief  disciple. 

Jesus  now  decided  to  return  home  to  Galilee  with  Peter, 
Andrew,  and  John,  and  on  their  way  they  met  a  young 
man  called  Philip,  also  from  Bethsaida,  whom  Andrew  and 
Peter  knew ;  and  when  Jesus  saw  Philip,  He  said  to  him — 

"  Follow  Me  !  "  And  Philip  also  came  with  Him.  There 
were  now  four  disciples,  and  when  they  came  into  Galilee, 
Philip  thought  of  Nathanael,  a  friend  of  his,  and  went  and 
found  him  sitting  reading  under  the  shade  of  a  green  fig  tree — 

"We  have  found  Jesus  of  Nazareth,"  Philip  told  him 
joyfully,  "  the  Son  of  Joseph.  He  of  whom  Moses  and 
the  good  men  in  the  Bible  wrote."  Nathanael  knew  the 
Bible  said  that  the   Christ    was   to   be    born   in   Bethlehem, 


68  NATHANAEL. 

and  he  had  heard  bad  things  of  Nazareth,  and  answered 
doubtfully — 

"  Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  ? "  Phihp 
would  not  argue  with  him.  He  thought  that  if  he  could 
only  get  him  to  see  Jesus  his  doubts  would  vanish. 

"  Come  and  see,"  was  all  he  said,  and  Nathanael  rose  and 
came,  and  when  Jesus  saw  him.  He  exclaimed — 

"  See,  an  Israelite  indeed,-  in  whom  there  is  no  guile  !  " 
Nathanael  was  surprised,  and  replied  at  once — 

"How  knowest  Thou  me?"  Looking  at  him  with  calm 
dark  eyes,  Jesus  answered — 

"  Before  Philip  called  thee,  when  thou  wast  under  the  fig 
tree,  I  saw  thee." 

"  Master  !  Thou  art  the  Son  of  God,  Thou  art  the  King  of 
Israel  !  "  Nathanael  exclaimed,  meaning  that  Jesus  was  the 
Christ,  for  His  answer  filled  him  with  wonder  and  reverence. 

"  Because  I  said  I  saw  thee  under  the  fig  tree,  thou 
believest  ?  "  Jesus  replied,  chiding  him  gently.  "  Thou  shalt 
see  greater  things  than  these.  Heaven  opened  and  the 
angels  of  God  ascending  and  descending  upon  Me."  Then 
Nathanael  also  became  one  of  His  disciples,  his  name  being 
afterwards  changed  to  Bartholomew.  Jesus  had  now  five 
disciples. 

It  was  Springtime,  and  as  they  went  through  the  hill 
country,  where  the  fig  and  olive  trees  were  putting  on  their 
leaves,  and  the  sweet  wild  flowers  were  weaving  their  brilliant 
colours  tfeiough  the  grass,  the  men  listened  to  Jesus  talk- 
ing, and  thought  they  had  never  heard  any  one  speak 
like  Him,  and  when  they  reached  the  Lake  of  Gennesaret, 
some  of  them  went  to  their  own  homes  at  Bethsaida,  and 
some  went  with  Him  to  Nazareth.  Home  again  !  but  not 
to  stay.  He  had  not  come  to  take  up  His  Carpenter's  tools. 
He  had 'laid  them  down  for  ever.  And  His  mother  saw 
that  while  He  had  been  away  a  change  had  come  over 
Him,  for  He  seemed  even  graver  and  more  earnest  than 
before. 

Remember   then   how   Andrew   and   Philip   brought  their 


THE    MARRIAGE    AT    CANA.  69 

friends  to  Jesus.  Philip  begging  Nathanael  just  to  come 
and  look  at  Him.  And  thou  wilt  tell  thy  companions  about 
Him  too,  for  children  can  get  children  to  do  what  older 
people  cannot  persuade  them  to. 


THE   MARRIAGE   AT   CANA. 

CANA,   SPRING,  A.D.    3I. 

There  was  to  be  a  marriage  in  Cana,  a  little  village  about 
four  miles  from  Nazareth,  on  the  road  down  to  the  Lake. 
His  mother  and  brothers  and  sisters  were  going,  and  Jesus 
and  the  disciples  who  were  with  Him,  were  invited,  for  it  was 
the  marriage  of  a  friend. 

On  the  wedding  morning  they  walked  over  the  hills,  and 
saw  the  pretty  bride,  with  wild  flowers  twined  in  her  loose  hair 
— white  orange  blossom,  crimson  pomegranate,  and  delicate 
wild  rose — and  all  covered  with  a  white  veil,  married  to 
her  lover,  among  rejoicing  friends.  Then  followed  the  wed- 
ding supper  in  the  home  of  the  bridegroom's  father,  which 
was  gay  with  festoons  of  flowers  on  the  walls, — honey- 
suckle and  ivy — rugs  on  the  floor,  and  coloured  cushions, 
and  couches  for  the  guests  at  the  table.  They  were  in 
the  land  of  grapes,  and  there  was  wine,  and  whether  it 
was  that  more  people  had  come  than  were  expected,  or 
that  the  bridegroom's  father  was  poor,  in  the  course  of  the 
supper  the  wine  was  finished,  but  only  the  women  who 
were  serving  knew  of  this,  of  whom  Jesus'  mother  was  one. 
Now,  it  would  have  been  thought  a  great  disgrace  if  they 
had  required  to  tell  the  guests  that  there  was  no  more 
wine ;  and,  seeing  the  distress  of  her  friends,  Mary  thought  of 
her  Son,  who  had  ever  been  her  adviser  at  home.  Beckoning 
Jesus  to  come  and  speak  with  her,  she  whispered — 

"  They  have  no  wine."  And  He,  knowing  that  she  wished 
Him  to  assist  them,  said  gently  to  her — 

"Woman,  what  have  I  to  do  with  thee?  My  time  has  not 
yet  come."    And  He  returned  to  the  table  and  sat  down.    He 


JO  WATER    AND    WINE. 

was  not  angry;  and,  thinking  it  a  favourable  answer,  His 
mother  went  to  the  servants  and  said — 

"  Whatever  He  telleth  you  to  do,  do  it."  Now  there  were 
six  stone  jars  for  holding  water  at  the  house  door,  and  they 
were  empty,  because  every  guest  had  washed  his  feet  and  left 
his  shoes  at  the  door,  for  no  one  might  go  into  a  house  in  that 
country  except  with  bare  feet.  Rising  again  from  the  table 
and  coming  to  the  door,  Jesus  said  to  the  servants  who  were 
outside  in  the  sunshine — 

"  Fill  the  stone  jars  with  water."  And  taking  up  dishes 
and  pitchers  they  filled  them  with  water  from  the  village  well, 
as  quickly  as  they  could,  and  when  they  were  all  full.  He  said 
again — 

"  Draw  out  now  and  carry  it  to  the  head  one  at  the  table." 
Now  this  man  sat  at  the  end  of  the  room,  and  all  new  things 
were  taken  first  to  him  to  be  tasted.  A  servant  filled  a  wine- 
flagon  from  the  water-jar,  and  did  as  he  was  told,  and  when  he 
reached  the  head  of  the  table  and  poured  it  into  a  wine  cup,  it 
was  red  wine.  When  the  master  of  the  feast  tasted  the  wine, 
it  was  so  good  that  he  called  playfully  to  the  bridegroom's 
father — 

"  Every  man  who  giveth  a  feast  setteth  the  good  wine  first 
on  the  table ;  and  when  men  have  drunk  freely,  then  he 
bringeth  in  the  worse  wine  :  but  thou  hast  kept  the  good  wine 
to  the  end."  And  thus  he  drew  attention  to  the  wine,  though 
no  one-  knew  whence  it  came. 

This,  then,  was  the  first  wonder,  called  a  miracle,  which 
Jesus  did.  And  as  the  supper  went  on  it  was  whispered  from 
the  servants  to  the  guests,  where  the  wine  had  come  from, 
until  all  knew,  and  were  astonished  at  His  power.  After 
supper  came  music,  games,  and  dancing  on  the  earthen  floor, 
or  perhaps  in  the  open  court-yard  of  the  house,  with  Jesus 
looking  on  amid  a  throng  of  glad  faces  ;  and  under  the  stars 
of  night,  with  the  shadows  of  the  dark  hills  around  Him,  He 
walked  back  to  His  quiet  home  at  Nazareth. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  that  Jesus  loves  times  of  happy 
rejoicing.     And  what  is  more  charming  and  joyful  than  a 


CLEARING  THE  GOLDEN  TEMPLE.       7 1 

child    dancing — dancing   with    radiant    face,  arms  and  body 
swaying  to  his  own  time  and  tune  ? 


CLEARING   THE   GOLDEN   TEMPLE. 

JERUSALEM,   APRIL,   A.D.    3I. 

After  the  marriage,  Jesus  went  down  to  Capernaum  at  the 
Lake-side  with  his  disciples,  His  mother  and  brothers  also  going 
with  Him,  walking  easily  there  in  one  day.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  places  in  the  whole  country,  especially  in  early 
Spring,  for  the  Lake  of  Gennesaret,  which  is  about  the  size  of 
Lake  Windermere  in  England,  is  deep  and  surrounded  by  high 
hills,  that  come  close  down  to  the  blue  water  on  one  side, 
while  on  the  other  side  was  a  rich  fruit  and  flower-bearing 
plain  called  the  "  garden  of  Gennesaret,"  watered  by  several 
small  streams  that  flow  across  it  from  a  large,  beautiful  spring. 
The  air  on  this  plain  is  so  soft  and  warm  that  grapes  and  figs 
ripened  there  almost  the  whole  year  round,  and  melons,  dates, 
oranges,  citron,  wheat,  barley,  and  rice  grew  more  abundantly 
there  than  anywhere  else,  with  scarlet  geraniums,  purple 
hyacinths,  golden  crocuses,  and  countless  other  flowers  spread- 
ing down  to  the  white  beach,  formed  of  innumerable  small 
shells.  On  the  other  side  of  the  Lake  rose  barren  hills  of 
yellow,  grey,  and  black  rock,  with  groves  of  palms,  almond, 
fig,  and  olive  trees  in  the  deep  gorges.  The  Lake  was  then 
crowded  with  fishing-boats,  and  although  it  is  only  thirteen 
miles  long  and  six  broad,  there  were  ten  towns  round  it, 
besides  villages.  Capernaum  was  near  one  end,  and  through 
it  passed  the  great  caravan-road  from  the  East  to  Jerusalem. 
It  had  fine  public  buildings,  broad  streets,  and  markets,  and 
squares,  in  which  might  be  seen  Africans,  Arabs,  and  Jews 
buying  and  selHng. 

Jesus  went  to  live  in  His  disciple  Peter's  house,  near  the 
shore  of  black  rocks  at  Capernaum.  But  he  remained  only  a 
few  days,  for  it  was  time  to  start  for  the  Passover  Festival  at 
Jerusalem,  and  it  is  likely  that  he  only  went  there  to  join  the 


72  SHEEP,    OXEN,    MONEY-CHANGERS. 

band  of  people  who  were  going  from  Capernaum.  With  sing- 
ing and  rejoicing  the  company  left  the  town,  taking  the  road 
along  the  Lake-side,  with  green  corn-fields  and  fruit  trees  on 
one  hand,  and  the  blue  sparkling  water  on  the  other ;  leaving 
the  Lake,  they  wound  up  through  deep  green  vales  sprinkled 
with  flowers,  and  over  thymy  plains,  till  they  could  look  down 
upon  the  tree-fringed  gorge  of  the  Jordan,  which  remained  in 
sight  day  after  day,  till,  with  waving  branches  and  a  burst  of 
joyful  psalm  songs,  they  looked  down  once  more  upon  the 
great  Golden  Temple  from  the  Mount  of  Olives. 

The  Temple  was  the  centre  of  the  Festival.  From  their 
camp  of  tents  and  huts  made  of  mats  and  branches  on  Olivet, 
they  could  see  the  people  moving  in  dark  crowds  in  the  streets 
about  it,  and  going  up  and  down  its  great  white  steps,  while 
sheep  and  oxen  were  being  driven  in  herds  towards  it. 

Going  thither  on  the  first  morning,  Jesus  saw  a  sight  in  the 
great  outer  Temple  court  that  made  him  angry.  It  was  a 
beautiful  place,  open  to  the  blue  sky  and  surrounded  with  pil- 
lars and  porches  of  red  and  white  marble,  with  a  floor  made 
of  many  coloured  marbles  ;  yet  the  sellers  of  sheep,  oxen,  and 
doves,  and  the  money-changers,  had  brought  their  things  into 
it,  and  were  shouting  and  wrangling,  buying  and  selling  there, 
so  that  the  noise  reached  even  the  worshippers  in  the  courts 
within.  Bleating  lambs  were  penned  in  one  corner  here,  while 
there,  was  a  man  struggling  to  hold  an  ox,  and  there,  were 
dove-sellers  with  their  wicker  baskets,  and  there,  behind  tables 
with  little  piles  of  gold  and  silver  upon  them,  sat  the  money- 
changers, the  greatest  rogues  in  Jerusalem,  who  changed  for- 
eign coins  into  small  shekels,  the  only  money  which  the  priests 
would  take.  They  had  not  come  to  worship,  but  to  buy  and 
sell ;  and  Jesus  was  angry  that  the  priests  should  allow  it,  and 
taking  a  number  of  small  cords  He  tied  them  together  into  a 
scourge,  and  drove  the  keepers  of  the  sheep  and  oxen,  with 
their  herds,  out  of  the  beautiful  Court.  Astonishment  filled 
all  who  saw  Him  driving  them  out  through  the  gates,  but  no 
one  tried  to  resist  Him  or  said  that  He  did  wrong.  Then, 
going  over  to  the  money-changers,  He  poured  out  their  money 


SCATTERED    GOLD.  73 

bags  and  upset  their  tables,  sending  their  coins  ringing  and 
scattering  down  on  the  pavement,  and  ordered  them  also  out ; 
while  to  the  men  who  sold  the  caged  doves  and  all  the  other 
traders,  He  said — 

"  Take  these  things  hence,  and  do  not  make  My  Father's 
house  a  house  of  buying  and  selling."  The  noise  of  the  low- 
ing cattle  as  they  were  driven  away  was  as  nothing  to  the 
shouts  and  screams  of  rage  and  terror  with  which  the  money- 
changers saw  their  precious  money  scattered  upon  the  pave- 
ment, and  they  tried  to  clutch  and  scrape  together  as  much  as 
they  could  gather  before  flying  out. 

At  length  all  the  traders  were  gone — only  the  worship- 
pers remained ;  but  still  they  could  be  heard  outside  bewail- 
ing their  losses,  and  demanding  what  right  this  young  Man  of 
Galilee  had  to  turn  them  out,  yet  none  ventured  back  again. 
Cattle  were  mixed,  money  was  lost,  doves  escaped,  all  was 
confusion  amongst  the  rogues ;  yet  not  one  of  them  could  tell 
why  he  had  fled.  It  was  not  His  scourge  nor  His  few  words, 
but  it  was  the  appearance  of  Jesus  which  drove  them  out. 
Then  the  Temple  priests  began  to  ask  each  other.  What  right 
had  Jesus  thus  to  interfere  in  their  Temple  ?  And  coming  to 
Him  they  said — 

"  Seeing  Thou  hast  done  this  thing,  what  sign  canst  Thou 
show  us  of  Thy  right  to  do  it?  " 

"■  Destroy  this  temple,"  He  answered,  "  and  in  three  days  I 
will  raise  it  up." 

"This  Temple  was  forty-six  years  in  building,"  they  ex- 
claimed, "and  wilt  Thou  raise  it  up  in  three  days?"  The 
Temple  was  not  even  finished  yet ;  but  Jesus  did  not  answer 
or  explain  that  He  was  speaking  of  Himself;  but  what  He 
said  that  day  the  priests  and  traders  never  forgot,  for  they 
blamed  Him  for  it  three  years  afterwards. 

Remember,  then,  that  Jesus  does  not  like  people  when  in 
church  to  think  of  business  or  money  or  even  of  play  and 
games ;  but  to  think  about  God  and  Heaven,  and  so  truly  to 
worship  there. 


74  NICODEMUS. 


NICODEMUS. 

JERUSALEM,   APRIL,   A.D.    3I. 

Every  morning  early,  when  the  priests  blew  their  silver 
trumpets,  a  cloud  from  the  morning  sacrifice  rose  into  the 
blue  air  above  the  Golden  Temple,  and  the  great  courts 
echoed  with  the  singing  of  psalms.  Jesus  now  began  to  walk 
each  day  among  the  pillars  in  the  porches  round  the  Temple 
courts  where  the  Teachers  met,  doing  wonders  and  speaking 
to  the  people,  and  many  people  beUeved  Him ;  but  He  did 
not  trust  them,  and  asked  none  of  them  to  be  His  disciples. 
But  they  called  Him  a  young  Rabbi,  which  means  "Teacher ; " 
and  old  men  said  they  had  never  heard  such  speaking  at  a 
Passover  Festival. 

Now  there  were  men  in  Jerusalem  called  Pharisees,  which 
means  "  ones  separated,"  proud  Teachers,  who  thought  them- 
selves better  than  all  other  men,  and  Nicodemus  was  one  of 
the  highest  of  them.  He  had  heard  Jesus  speaking  in  the 
Temple,  and  thought  He  was  the  Christ  whom  they  all 
expected ;  but  the  Pharisees  despised  any  one  who  said  so, 
and  though  Nicodemus  wished  much  to  talk  with  Jesus,  he 
was  afraid  of  what  the  other  Pharisees  would  say.  One  night, 
however,  he  left  his  fine  house,  and  went  out  alone  over  the 
dark  Kedron  Bridge  to  the  camp  of  the  Galileans  on  the 
Mount  of  Olives  where  Jesus  lived,  and  there  he  found  Jesus, 
and  taking  Him  aside  from  among  the  tents  and  the  people, 
he  unn)rffled  his  cloak  in  the  full  moonhght  and  showed  who 
he  was. 

"  Master,"  he  began,  as  they  stood  in  the  shadow  of  the 
olive  trees  that  grew  thick  on  the  side  of  the  hill,  and  whose 
thin  leaves  shone  like  silver  in  the  moonlight,  "we  know 
that  Thou  art  a  Teacher  from  God,  for  no  man  could  do  the 
things 'which  Thou  doest  unless  God  be  with  him."  Thus 
he  told  Jesus  what  the  Pharisees  thought  of  Him,  and  they 
talked  long  and  earnestly  together,  the  rich  Councillor  and 
the  young  Carpenter. 


THE    SPIRIT    OF    GOD.  75 

"  Unless  a  man  be  born  again  from  above,  he  cannot  see 
God,"  said  Jesus. 

"But  how  can  a  man  be  born  again  when  he  is  old?"  re- 
plied Nicodemus,  in  surprise  ;  and  Jesus  explained  that  being 
born  from  above,  meant,  to  have  the  Spirit  of  God  coming  into 
us  to  guide  us  ;  saying,  as  the  warm  night  wind  rustled  through 
the  leaves  overhead — 

"  Be  not  surprised  that  I  say,  *  Thou  must  be  born  from 
Heaven.*  The  wind  bloweth  where  it  will,  and  we  hear  the 
sound  of  it,  but  know  not  whence  it  cometh  nor  whither  it  goeth. 
So  is  it  with  the  Spirit  of  God'' — meaning  that  the  Spirit  of 
God  cometh  unseen,  and  yet  we  know  when  He  is  present. 

"  How  is  this  possible?"  said  Nicodemus,  in  astonishment, 
for  he  beHeved  that  men  only  entered  Heaven  by  being  Jews 
and  keeping  the  whole  Law,  as  taught  by  the  priests. 

"Art  thou  a  Teacher  in  Jerusalem,"  said  Jesus,  quietly, 
" and  understandest  not  these  things?  "  Gently  rebuking  him 
for  teaching  religion  to  others,  and  yet  not  knowing  the  prin- 
cipal thing,  adding,  "  I  speak  of  what  I  know  and  have  seen, 
yet  thou  dost  not  believe  Me.  If  thou  dost  not  believe  when 
I  speak  about  the  earth,  how  wilt  thou  believe  Me  if  I  speak 
of  Heaven?  No  man  hath  gone  up  to  Heaven,  but  I  came 
down  from  Heaven,  and  am  in  Heaven.  Just  as  Moses  lifted 
up  the  serpent  of  brass  in  the  wilderness,  so  must  I  be  Hfted 
up,  that  whoever  believeth  on  Me  may  have  Heaven.  For 
God  so  loved  the  world,  that  He  gave  Me,  His  only  Son, 
that  whoever  believeth  on  Me  should  have  Heaven.  God 
sent  Me,  that  through  Me  the  world  should  be  saved."  Thus 
He  told  Nicodemus  plainly  that  He  was  the  long-expected 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God.  And  comparing  Himself  to  a  light 
in  darkness,  he  continued — 

"  I  am  the  Light  come  into  the  world,  but  men  do  not 
believe  in  Me,  loving  darkness  rather  than  light,  because  their 
deeds  are  bad.  Every  one  that  doeth  bad  things  hateth  the 
light,  and  cometh  not  to  it,  lest  his  deeds  should  be  reproved. 
But  he  that  doeth  good,  cometh,  that  his  deeds  may  be  seen, 
that  they  are  done  as  God  wisheth."     A  gentle  reproof  this 


76  HEAVEN. 

to  the  great  Councillor  who  had  come  in  the  dark  that 
night. 

As  they  walked  together  among  the  fresh  grass  and  wild 
flowers  of  Olivet  under  the  whispering  trees,  Jesus  telling  him 
of  Heaven,  and  of  the  Spirit  of  God  which  cometh  unseen, 
the  eyes  of  Nicodemus  turned  from  the  beautiful  face  of  his 
Companion,  and  travelled  the  dark  blue  spaces  of  the  night,  as 
he  wondered  whether  behind  the  furthest  star,  which  shone  as  a 
faint  white  spark,  the  bright  fields  of  Heaven  were  outspread 
of  which  He  spoke,  and  he  wondered  also  how  Jesus,  while  on 
earth,  could  yet  be  in  Heaven.  And  as  he  hstened  to  His 
words  he  felt  the  Spirit  of  God  rising  in  new  power  within 
him,  and  resolved  to  follow  Jesus.  They  parted  as  the  rosy 
dawn  broke  over  the  great  city,  the  one  going  to  his  fine  house 
and  silken  couch,  the  other  to  His  simple  hut  and  bed  of 
leaves ;  but  Nicodemus  never  forgot  that  night  with  Jesus,  as 
thou  wilt  afterwards  see. 

Now,  in  talking  with  Nicodemus,  Jesus  spoke  of  Heaven 
in  two  ways  which  I  shall  explain,  for  it  will  help  thee  to 
understand  Him  better  later  on.  He  spoke  of  Heaven  in 
this  life,  and  of  Heaven  in  the  life  of  our  spirits  after  death. 
God  makes  Heaven.  To  have  the  Spirit  of  God  in  us 
— to  know  and  obey  God — is  to  have  Heaven  here,  and 
the  perfect  union  of  our  Spirits  with  God  in  His  beautiful 
Home,  is  Heaven  hereafter.  Spreading  the  knowledge  of 
God  is  what  Jesus  called  spreading  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven 
among  men.  But  the  people  had  been  taught  to  expect 
that  His.'"' vingdom  would  be  one  of  cities,  armies,  and  power, 
and  that  He  would  reign  over  it  from  a  magnificent  Jeru- 
salem ;  but  Jesus  taught  them  that  His  Kingdom  of  Heaven 
was  unseen,  of  goodness,  joy,  and  peace,  in  the  hearts  of  men, 
women,  and  little  children  everywhere.  Heaven  has  many 
beautiful  names  in  the  Bible,  and  when  thou  readest  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God,  Kingdom  of  our  Father,  Kingdom 
of  Heaven,  Life,  Life  everlasting,  Life  eternal,  Paradise,  I 
wish  thee  to  remember  that  they  all  mean  Heaven,  Heaven 
in  us  here,  or  Heaven  with  God  after  death,  and  sometimes 
both  together. 


JOHN    AND    JESUS.  "]*] 

Remember,  then,  that  what  Jesus  called  being  born  again, 
is  to  have  the  Spirit  of  God  rising  within  thee ;  and  that 
to  obey  that  voice  is  to  believe  in  Jesus,  and  have  Heaven. 


JOHN   AND   JESUS. 

JORDAN,    SUMMER,   A.D.    3I. 

Jesus  remained  some  time  teaching  in  Jerusalem,  after 
the  Festival  week  was  over,  and  then  He  went  into  Judaea, 
which  is  the  hill  country  round  about  Jerusalem,  on  his  first 
journey  as  a  Teacher.  The  Jordan  being  shallow  with  the 
heat,  John  the  Baptist  had  gone  further  up  the  river  to  y^non, 
where  there  was  still  plenty  of  water  in  the  pools,  and  crowds 
came  to  him  every  day ;  and  after  a  time  Jesus  also  came 
down  from  the  hills  to  the  river,  not  to  John,  but  to  a 
shallow  place  nearer  to  Jerusalem,  where  He  also  taught, 
and  greater  crowds  came  to  Jesus  than  to  John,  and  His 
disciples  baptized  the  people.  When  John's  disciples  heard 
of  this,  although  Andrew  and  John  were  their  old  com- 
panions, they  were  displeased,  and  complained  to  John  the 
Baptist. 

"Master,"  said  they,  "Jesus  who  was  with  thee  across 
the  Jordan,  and  of  whom  thou  spoke,  is  baptizing,  and 
everybody  goeth  to  Him."  They  had  just  had  a  dispute 
with  some  Teachers  sent  from  Jerusalem  about  purifying  by 
water,  and  they  hoped  John  would  say  that  the  disciples 
of  Jesus  baptized  wrongly,  and  that  his  was  the  only  true 
baptism.  But  John  was  a  noble  man.  When  his  cousin 
Jesus  was  still  an  unknown  Carpenter  in  Nazareth,  John 
was  a  great  and  famous  Teacher,  followed  by  crowds ;  but 
now,  though  he  taught  as  well  as  ever,  the  people  were 
leaving  him  and  going  to  Jesus,  and  of  John's  disciples 
two  had  already  gone,  and  the  others  were  grumbling.  But 
he  was  not  jealous  ;  and  answered  them  firmly — 

"  A  man  can  receive  nothing,  except  it  be  given  him 
from    God.     You   yourselves    have    told   others  that  I  said. 


y8  HE    MUST    INCREASE. 

'  I  am  not  the  Christ,  but  I  am  sent  before  Him.'  The 
friend  of  the  Bridegroom,  who  standeth  by  and  heareth 
Him  speak,  rejoiceth  greatly  because  of  His  voice.  My 
joy  therefore  is  full."  Far  from  being  jealous,  John  wished 
that  the  people  should  go  to  Jesus,  and  he  added  these 
noble  words:  '' I/<r  fnust  increase,  but  I  must  decreased  He 
meant  that  he  had  done  his  part,  in  teUing  the  people  of 
the  coming  of  Jesus,  and  that  henceforth  they  must  look 
to  Jesus  as  their  Leader,  and  then  he  praised  Him,  saying — 

"  Jesus  who  Cometh  from  God  is  above  all,  and  He 
speaketh  of  what  He  hath  seen  and  heard,  yet  no  one 
believeth  His  message,  but  whoever  shall  believe,  maketh 
sure  of  this,  that  God  is  true.  Jesus  whom  God  hath  sent 
speaketh  the  words  of  God,  for  God  loveth  Him,  His  Son, 
and  hath  given  everything  into  His  hand.  He  that  believeth 
in  Jesus  hath  Heaven  :  but  he  that  believeth  not,  shall  not  see 
Heaven^  How  soon  were  the  forebodings  of  John  realised  ! 
In  a  few  months  King  Antipas,  the  son  of  the  wicked  King 
Herod,  took  him  with  soldiers  and  imprisoned  him  in  a 
castle  near  the  Dead  Sea  so  called  because  of  its  horrid 
saltness,  and  from  which  castle  John  never  escaped. 

The  priests  at  Jerusalem  disliked  John,  but  Jesus  they 
now  hated,  after  what  He  had  done  in  the  Temple;  and 
hearing  that  even  greater  crowds  were  going  to  Jesus  than 
to  John,  and  remembering  all  He  had  said,  they  agreed  to 
try  and  stop  Jesus  from  teaching,  and  if  possible  to  have 
Him  taken  a  prisoner.  But  friends  told  Jesus  that  John 
had  been  >•;  ut  into  prison,  and  of  the  plans  of  the  priests ; 
and  Jesus  resolved  to  return  to  the  Lake-side,  but  not  before 
He  had  taught  for  six  months  in  Judaea,  and  had  made  a 
great  stir  and  won  many  friends,  particularly  among  the 
poor  people,  with  His  strange  new  teaching  about  Heaven. 
I  do  not  think  that  Jesus  saw  John  at  this  time,  and  He 
never  saw  him  afterwards ;  and  thus,  from  the  very  start  of 
His  teaching,  the  priests  and  Teachers  of  Jerusalem  turned 
against  Jesus. 

Remember,  then,  John's  noble  answer,  and  be  not  jealous 


THE    WOMAN    AT    THE    WELL.  79 

of  others  who  are  able  to  do  more  good  in  the  world  than 
thou ;  but  keep  doing  thy  best,  and  rejoice  that  they  can  do 
better. 


THE   WOMAN   AT   THE   WELL. 

SYCHAR,   WINTER,   A.D.    3I. 

Jesus  did  not  return  to  Galilee  by  the  usual  road  along  the 
banks  of  Jordan,  but  went  up  to  the  hills  and  through  the 
country  of  Samaria,  a  way  which  few  cared  to  go,  as  the  people 
of  Judaea  hated  the  Samaritans,  and  the  Samaritans  hated  the 
Judaeans,  but  they  were  more  friendly  to  Galileans.  From  the 
Jordan,  Jesus  and  the  disciples  who  were  with  Him  chmbed 
the  hills,  and  joined  the  high-road.  Samaria  was  a  fine  coun- 
try, with  grassy  plains  and  wooded  glens,  while  the  hills  were 
not  steep  and  bare  like  Judaea,  but  rounded  and  covered  with 
trees,  walnut,  almond,  pear,  plum,  and  fir ;  and  the  numerous 
brooks  in  the  hollows  ran  sparkling  like  silver,  but  some  of  the 
deep  and  wooded  gorges  were  now  difficult  to  cross  owing  to 
the  Winter  rains. 

By  midday  they  reached  the  little  town  of  Sychar,  in  the 
midst  of  the  high  hills  of  Samaria,  and  it  was  warm,  for  even 
in  December  the  sun  is  hot  there  at  noon,  and  a  little  way 
down  the  vale  from  the  town  there  was  a  deep  well,  built 
round  with  stones,  and  with  water  sparkling  far  down  in  it,  and 
Jesus  sending  His  disciples  up  to  the  town  to  buy  some  bread, 
rested  in  the  cool  shade  of  the  small  stone  shed  that  stood 
beside  the  well.  While  He  waited  there,  a  woman  with  her 
red  water-jar  on  her  shoulder,  and  a  cord  in  her  hand,  came 
down  the  path  from  the  town  for  water.  Fastening  her  cord 
to  the  jar,  she  let  it  down  into  the  well,  and  drew  it  up  filled 
with  clear,  cool  water.  Taking  off  the  cord,  she  put  the  jar 
on  her  hand,  and  was  about  to  lift  it  to  her  shoulder  and  go 
away,  when  Jesus,  coming  from  His  seat,  said  to  her — 

"  Give  me  to  drink."  A  common  enough  thing  to  ask  ;  but 
she  was  surprised  that  a  Jew  should  speak  to  her,  and  replied 
in  a  distant  way — 


8o  GIVE    ME    A    DRINK. 

"  How  is  it  that  Thou,  a  Jew,  askest  water  from  me,  a 
woman  of  Samaria?"  She  also  knew  that  women  were  so 
much  looked  down  upon  by  Jews,  that  a  young  Teacher  was 
forbidden  to  speak  to  them  outside  of  a  house.  But  Jesus 
cared  not  for  such  foolish  things. 

"  If  thou  knewest  who  it  is  that  saith  to  thee,  '  Give  me  to 
drink,' "  He  answered,  ''  thou  wouldst  ask  Me,  and  I  would 
give  thee  living  water  " — meaning  the  Spirit  of  God.  Seeing 
that  Jesus  was  no  common  Man,  she  began  to  speak  more 
respectfully,  although  she  did  not  understand  Him. 

"  Sir,"  she  said,  "  Thou  hast  nothing  to  draw  water  with, 
and  the  well  is  deep  :  whence  hast  Thou  this  living  water  ? 
Art  Thou  greater  than  our  father  Jacob,  who  gave  us  this  well, 
and  drank  of  it,  with  his  sons  and  his  cattle?"  She  thought 
He  was  speaking  against  their  well,  and  so  she  told  Him  its 
age,  and  the  great  people  who  had  used  it.  Jesus  then  told 
her  that  what  He  could  give  her  was  greater  than  water  out  of 
any  well,  saying,  as  He  pointed  to  her  water-jar — 

"  Whoever  drinketh  of  this  water  will  thirst  again ;  but  who- 
ever receiveth  the  water  that  I  can  give,  will  never  thirst,  but 
it  will  be  in  him  a  spring  of  water  springing  up  into  Heaven." 
Still  thinking  that  Jesus  spoke  of  some  wonderful  kind  of  water 
for  drinking,  she  exclaimed — 

"  Sir,  give  me  that  water  that  I  may  never  thirst  again,  nor 
come  all  the  way  hither  for  water  !  "  Meditating  for  a  little, 
Jesus  tried  her  in  a  different  way. 

''Go  and  call  thy  husband,"  He  said,  "and  come  back 
again." 

"  I  have  no  husband,"  she  replied,  turning  away  her  eyes 
as  she  spoke.     He  saw  the  change,  and  said  gently — 

"  Thou  hast  well  said,  for  thou  hast  had  five  husbands,  and 
he  with  whom  thou  now  livest  is  not  thy  husband  :  thou  hast 
spoken  the  truth."  In  one  sentence  He  reproved  and  en- 
couraged her,  and,  no  longer  proud,  she  stood  with  eyes  cast 
down,  for  her  whole  life  seemed  known  to  Him,  and  replied 
humbly — 

"  I  see  that  Thou  art  a  Prophet."     Now  the  Jews  said  that 


GOD    IS    A    SPIRIT.  8 1 

God  should  be  worshipped  in  their  Temple  on  Mount  Moriah, 
in  Jerusalem,  and  the  Samaritans  said,  in  their  Temple,  on 
Mount  Gerizim,  whose  high  wooded  top  they  could  see  not 
far  off;  and  she  went  on  to  say,  "Our  fathers  worshipped 
God  on  yonder  mountain,  but  the  Jews  say  that  on  Mount 
Moriah,  in  Jerusalem,  is  the  right  place  to  worship?"  Jesus 
brought  her  back  to  the  Spirit  of  God,  the  spring  of  all  good, 
in  His  answer,  the  greatest  in  the  Bible — 

"  Woman,  believe  me,"  He  said,  "  the  time  cometh,  when 
neither  on  yonder  mountain,  nor  in  Jerusalem,  will  men  wor- 
ship God.  The  Samaritans  do  not  know  what  they  worship, 
but  the  Jews  know  what  they  worship.  But,  I  say,  the  time 
cometh,  yes,  and  hath  come,  when  the  true  worshippers  shall 
worship  God  everywhere,  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  for  God 
seeketh  such  to  worship  Him."  Thus  He  explained  that 
God's  true  worshippers  do  not  need  to  worship  in  temples  or 
in  churches,  for  they  can  worship  Him  in  spirit  wherever  they 
may  be,  and  He  added  these  glorious  words,  "  God  is  a  Spirit^ 
and  must  be  worshipped  in  spirit  and  in  truth y 

To  what  a  height  had  this  conversation  risen  !  which  has 
come  down  to  us  through  the  ages,  as  the  greatest  recorded 
conversation  of  all  time.  There,  by  a  lonely  well,  over  a  jar 
of  water,  Jesus  explained  to  a  woman  the  true  relationship 
between  God  and  man,  and  how  they  touch  and  flow  into 
each  other.  But  a  higher  point  was  reached.  The  conversa- 
tion had  got  beyond  the  woman's  understanding,  and  she 
could  only  answer  in  a  vague  way. 

"  I  know  that  the  Christ  will  come,  and  when  He  cometh. 
He  will  explain  everything  to  us,"  and  she  looked  up  at  Him, 
and  returning  her  gaze  with  His  clear  dark  eyes,  Jesus  said 
gently — 

" /  who  speak  to  thee  am  He''  With  wonder  and  amaze- 
ment the  woman  heard  these  joyful  words  from  His  lips,  and 
gazed  at  His  face  in  silent  worship. 

By  this  time  the  disciples  had  returned,  and  were  surprised 
to  find  Him  speaking  to  a  woman,  but  none  of  them  cared 
to  come  forward.     Leaving  her  water-jar  on  the  edge  of  the 


82  THE    VILLAGE    OF    SYCHAR. 

well,  the  woman  ran  back  again  to  the  town  to  tell  the  people 
there  the  joyful  tidings  that  the  Christ  had  come,  exclaiming, 
in  her  excitement,  more  than  was  quite  correct — 

"  Come  and  see  a  man  who  told  me  all  that  ever  I  did  ! 
Can  this  be  the  Christ?" 

While  she  was  away  the  disciples  approached  Jesus  and 
asked  Him  to  take  some  of  their  bread,  but  He  would  not, 
saying,  as  He  sat  thinking — 

"  I  have  food  to  eat  that  ye  know  not  of."  And  they 
wondered  if  some  one  had  brought  Him  food  ;  but  He  added, 
"  My  food  is  to  do  the  will  of  God  who  sent  Me,  and  to  carry 
out  His  work."  He  was  thinking  of  the  great  task  which  He 
had  begun,  and  which  seemed  to  Him  like  reaping  a  great 
harvest,  and  as  He  looked  towards  the  fields,  that  were  being 
ploughed  and  sown  with  wheat.  He  said,  "  You  say  that  there 
are  four  months  yet  before  the  harvest  time,  but  My  harvest  is 
ripe  already."  Then  as  He  thought  of  John  in  prison.  He 
added,  "  With  us,  one  man  soweth,  and  another  reapeth.  I 
send  you  to  reap  what  you  have  not  sown :  others  have  sown, 
and  you  shall  get  the  good  of  their  sowing." 

But  the  woman  returned,  bringing  with  her  men  who  asked 
Jesus  into  their  town,  and  He  went  with  them,  and  they 
received  Him  kindly,  and  while  some  of  the  people  believed 
He  was  the  Christ  because  of  what  the  woman  had  said,  far 
more  believed  when  they  saw  and  heard  Him  for  themselves ; 
and  He  stayed  at  Sychar  teaching  for  two  days.  And  thus 
driven  away  by  the  Jews  from  Judaea  He  was  welcomed  by 
the  Samaritans. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  that  thou  dost  not  require  to  go 
to  church  or  chapel  to  worship  God,  but  that  the  worship 
which  He  loveth  best  is  the  worship  and  obedience  of  thy 
spirit  wherever  thou  art. 

,  "  Come,  gentle  Spirit,  be  my  guide, 

A  Voice  above  the  great  world's  din, 
That  checks  each  thought  when  turned  aside 
From  flowers  of  light,  to  thorns  of  sin, 
And  gives  Heaven's  peace  within." 


THE    nobleman's    BOY.  83 


THE    NOBLEMAN'S    BOY. 

CANA,    WINTER,   A.D.    3I. 

Leaving  the  kind  people  of  Sychar,  Jesus  walked  on  towards 
the  hills  of  Gilboa,  whence  they  could  see  Mount  Hermon 
(which  means  the  white  hill)  towering  against  the  blue  sky, 
clad  in  its  mantle  of  Winter  snow  down  to  the  Lebanon  hills. 
Descending  through  the  deep  vale  of  Jenin  with  its  green 
orchards,  to  the  level  plain  of  Jezreel,  in  a  few  hours  they  were 
in  GaHlee  again,  where  the  people  in  the  villages  were  glad 
to  see  Him,  for  those  who  had  been  at  the  Festival  at  Jeru- 
salem had  spread  the  news  of  His  clearing  the  Temple  and  of 
His  wonderful  teaching.  And  as  He  went  through  Galilee 
He  taught  in  the  village  churches.  Climbing  again  into  the 
hills  He  passed  Nazareth,  where  He  knew  they  would  not 
receive  Him  well,  and  went  on  to  Cana  where  His  disciple 
Nathanael  lived. 

He  was  now  thirty-one  years  of  age,  and  had  been  teaching 
the  people  for  a  year.  And  while  He  was  at  Cana  a  nobleman, 
who  had  heard  of  His  return,  came  to  see  Him,  an  officer  of 
King  Antipas,  who  lived  in  a  splendid  house  at  Capernaum, 
with  servants  and  soldiers  under  him.  A  much-loved  son  had 
taken  fever,  and  the  doctors  could  not  make  him  better,  and 
hearing  of  Jesus,  he  ordered  his  horse,  and  rode  up  the  wild 
Vale  of  Doves,  with  its  overhanging  cliffs  and  deep  caves,  that 
led  up  through  the  hills  from  the  Lake-side,  to  bring  Jesus 
do^vn  to  his  son.  Riding  into  the  village  of  Cana,  with  his 
sword  rattling  and  servant  following  him,  he  asked  for  the 
house  in  which  Jesus  lived,  and  having  found  Him  he  sprang 
from  his  horse.  Could  this  be  Jesus  !— a  tall  young  man, 
dressed  in  a  plain  countryman's  clothes?  But  a  glance  at  His 
face  convinced  him,  and  in  a  few  earnest  words  he  begged 
Him  to  come  to  Capernaum  at  once,  and  heal  his  dear  son. 
Jesus  looked  at  his  anxious  face,  mud  be-spattered  clothes, 
and  foaming  horse,  but  He  wished  to  test  him  first — 

"Unless  thou  seest  Me  do  some  wonderful  thing,"  He 
said,  "thou  wilt  not  beheve  that  I  can  heal  thy  son?"     The 


84  FISHING    ON    THE    LAKE. 

nobleman  did  not  protest  or  argue  ;  every  moment's  delay  was 
anguish  to  him,  and  he  exclaimed — 

"  Sir,  come  down,  before  my  child  is  dead."  He  did  not 
doubt  His  power,  and  looking  at  him,  Jesus  said  in  a  re- 
assuring voice — 

"  Go  home.  Thy  son  liveth."  The  nobleman  had  come  to 
take  Jesus  back  with  him,  but  this  was  enough,  and  with  a  few 
earnest  words  of  gratitude,  he  went  to  the  inn  to  rest  his  horse 
before  riding  back.  His  mind  was  now  at  ease,  and  as  it  was 
a  rough  dangerous  road  of  twenty  miles,  he  did  not  start  until 
next  morning.  As  he  rode  home  on  the  following  day,  he  saw 
some  of  his  servants  coming  in  the  distance,  and  from  their 
signs  he  knew  that  they  brought  good  news,  and  their  first 
words  were — 

"Thy  son  liveth." 

"  At  what  o'clock  did  he  begin  to  improve  ? "  he  asked 
joyfully. 

"Yesterday,  at  one  o'clock,  the  fever  left  him,"  they 
replied.  And  he  told  them  that  that  was  the  time  when  he 
found  Jesus.  And  they  all  rode  gladly  home  together  to 
Capernaum,  reaching  there  in  the  afternoon.  Thou  canst 
imagine  with  what  joy  he  would  kiss  his  boy,  and  tell  him 
how  he  found  Jesus,  what  He  was  like,  and  what  He  had 
said.  And  the  boy,  and  his  father  and  mother,  and  all  in 
the  house,  believed  in  Jesus. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  that  this  is  the  first  of  a  great 
many  kind  acts  of  healing  people  which  we  are  told  that  Jesus 
did,  and  thou  wilt  learn  from  this  story  how  great  is  a  father's 
love  for  his  little  child. 


FISHING  ON   THE   LAKE. 

CAPERNAUM,   WINTER,   A.D.    3 1. 

Owing. to  John  the  Baptist  having  been  put  into  prison,  and 
the  means  taken  by  the  priests  in  Jerusalem,  who  had  friends 
in  every  village,  to  stop  the  teaching  of  Jesus,  He  went  from 
Cana  to  Nazareth,  and  stayed  quietly  at  His  mother's  house, 


TEACHING    FROM    A    BOAT.  85 

His  five  disciples  going  to  their  own  homes.  After  living  at 
Nazareth  for  some  months,  He  came  down  again  to  Caper- 
naum, and  began  teaching  openly  among  the  villages  at  the 
Lake-side,  and  crowds  came  to  hear  Him. 

One  morning  early  in  Spring  He  was  on  the  shore  of  white 
shells,  at  the  plain  of  Gennesaret,  teaching  at  a  lovely  spot, 
where  a  person  can  be  heard  speaking  a  long  way  off.  Thou 
canst  see  Him  as  He  stands  on  a  high  part.  Before  Him  are 
the  crowd  of  people  sitting  on  the  sloping  grass  and  dark 
rocks  that  rise  here  and  there  through  it ;  behind  Him  are  the 
waves  ripphng  on  the  beach,  while  the  water  of  the  Lake 
spreads  blue  and  gUttering  in  the  sunshine,  away  to  the  other 
side  where  the  bare  yellow  hills  are  quivering  in  a  haze  of 
heat.  As  he  speaks,  two  fishing  boats  come  in  to  the  shore, 
the  brown  nets  are  taken  out,  and  the  fishermen  begin  to  wash 
them  a  little  way  off.  The  crowd  are  now  pressing  so  close  to 
hear  Him  speak,  that  they  are  pushing  Him  into  the  water, 
and,  going  into  Peter's  boat,  He  asks  him  to  push  it  a  little 
way  out,  and  thus  anchored,  He  sits  down  in  the  stern,  and 
from  this  rough  pulpit  again  speaks  to  the  people,  who  are 
pressing  down  to  the  very  water's  edge. 

When  Jesus  finished  speaking.  He  sent  the  people  away  and 
left  the  boat ;  and  the  nets  having  been  put  back  again,  washed 
and  mended  for  the  next  day's  fishing,  He  said  to  Peter,  whose 
brother  Andrew  was  helping  him — 

"  Put  out  the  boat  into  deep  water,  and  let  down  the  nets 
to  fish."  Now,  the  men  were  tired,  and  wished  to  go  home, 
and  knowing  it  was  little  use  to  fish  in  the  morning,  Peter 
replied — 

"  Master,  we  have  toiled  at  fishing  all  night,  and  caught 
nothing,  yet  because  Thou  sayest  it,  we  will  let  down  the 
nets,"  and  he  told  the  men  to  row  out,  while  Jesus  watched 
them  from  the  shore.  Rowing  in  a  wide  ring  they  let  out  the 
nets  again,  which  hung  down  into  the  water,  and  Peter  soon 
saw  they  had  enclosed  so  many  fishes  that  it  seemed  as  if  the 
nets  would  break,  and  he  signalled  to  James  and  John,  who 
were  partners  in  the  fishing,  to  come  out  at  once  with  the 


86  HE    HEALS    THEM    ALL. 

second  boat.  The  nets  were  slowly  taken  in  and  the  silvery 
fish  shaken  out  into  the  boats,  loading  them  so  full  that  they 
seemed  about  to  sink  as  they  rowed  back  to  the  shore.  On 
reaching  shallow  water,  Peter  jumped  out,  and  running  to 
Jesus,  knelt  down  on  the  beach  as  he  exclaimed — 

"  Depart  from  me,  for  I  am  a  wicked  man,  O  Lord  !  "  He 
was  sorry  he  had  spoken  against  going  to  fish  when  Jesus  told 
them  to  row  out,  and  thought  he  was  not  worthy  to  have  such 
a  Master. 

^'Fear  not,  Peter,"  Jesus  said,  kindly.  "After  this,  thou 
shalt  catch  men," — meaning,  that  he  would  soon  give  up  fish- 
ing and  be  a  Teacher. 

Another  morning  later  on,  as  Jesus  passed  the  same  place. 
He  saw  Peter  and  Andrew  fishing  again  near  the  shore,  and 
called  to  them — 

"Come  with  Me,  and  I  will  make  you  fishers  of  men." 
And  drawing  their  boats  up  on  the  beach,  they  left  them  with 
the  other  fishermen,  and  went  away  with  Jesus.  A  little  fur- 
ther on  they  saw  the  brothers  James  and  John,  with  their 
father,  Zebedee,  sitting  in  a  boat  mending  their  nets  with 
string,  and  Jesus  called  to  them,  also,  to  come ;  and  they, 
too,  bringing  in  the  boat,  left  the  fishing  to  their  father  and 
his  hired  sailors,  and  went  away  with  Him.  Thus  He  gath- 
ered His  disciples  again,  young,  hardy  men,  to  begin  the  great 
struggle  with  the  priests  and  false  Teachers,  which  would  end 
only  with  His  death. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  the  answer  of  Peter,  "  Because 
Thou  saf>3st  it,  we  will  do  it,"  and  whatever  may  be  thy 
doubts,  learn  ever  to  obey  the  voice  of  God  within  thee,  that 
telleth  thee  what  is  right  to  do. 

HE    HEALS  THEM   ALL. 

CAPERNAUM,    SPRING,   A.D.    32. 

The  Church  of  Capernaum  at  the  Lake  was  a  very  fine 
building  of  white  marble,  built  on  a  high  part  of  the  town, 
the  gift  of  a  rich  officer,  and  one  Sabbath   morning  it  was 


IN  Capernaum's  church.  87 

crowded,  for  Jesus  was  going  to  speak  there.  Sitting  among 
the  old  Teachers,  on  a  bench  at  the  head  of  the  Church,  He 
faced  the  people,  who  stood  between  a  double  row  of  stone 
pillars.  Behind  Him  were  the  box  of  books,  the  curtain,  the 
seven-branched  candlestick,  the  ever-burning  lamp,  with  the 
reader's  desk  a  Httle  way  off.  After  prayers,  singing,  and 
reading,  Jesus  went  forward  and  sat  down  on  the  Teacher's 
raised  seat  in  the  middle  of  the  Church,  and  all  the  people 
stood  up,  and  then  He  spoke  to  them,  and  they  were  aston- 
ished, for  He  did  not  repeat  old  sayings  like  the  other  Teach- 
ers, but  spoke  like  One  having  authority  from  God.  Suddenly 
a  loud  cry  interrupted  Him,  saying — 

"  Ah  !  what  have  we  to  do  with  Thee,  Thou  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth ?  Art  Thou  come  to  destroy  us  ?  I  know  Thee,  whom 
Thou  art.  Thou  Holy  One  of  God."  The  cry  came  from  a 
wild-looking  man,  a  well-known  maniac,  who  had  come  in 
with  the  crowd,  and  who  was  terrified  at  the  words  of  Jesus ; 
and  the  people  shrank  back  from  the  man,  but  Jesus,  looking 
calmly  at  him,  said  in  a  clear  voice — 

"  Be  quiet,  and  come  out  of  him."  Uttering  loud  cries  the 
man  fell  down  upon  the  white  stone  floor,  but  rose  again ; 
and  the  people  coming  near  and  talking  to  him  found  that  he 
was  healed  of  his  dreadful  trouble.  They  were  amazed  at 
what  had  happened,  and  the  congregation  soon  broke  up,  and 
as  they  went  home,  some  to  distant  parts  of  Gahlee,  they  car- 
ried the  news  away,  saying  to  each  other — 

"  What  is  this  ?  A  new  Teacher,  who  speaketh  in  His  own 
authority ;  whom  even  the  evil  spirits  in  a  maniac  obey  and 
depart  !  " 

Walking  through  the  sunny  streets,  Jesus  went  away  with 
His  disciples  to  have  a  midday  meal  and  rest  at  Peter's  house 
by  the  Lake,  the  house  which  was  henceforth  to  be  His  home. 
There  he  found  Peter's  wife's  mother  ill  with  fever,  and  they 
asked  Him  to  heal  her.  Going  into  her  room,  He  stood 
beside  her  bed,  and  taking  her  hot  hand,  bade  the  fever  leave 
her,  and  raised  her  up;  and  she  rose  from  her  bed  well  again, 
and  helped  to  prepare  the  food  for  them.     But  the  Pharisees 


8S  WALKING    THROUGH    GALILEE. 

of  Capernaum  told  the  priests  of  Jerusalem  that  Jesus  had 
broken  their  Sabbath  rules  twice  on  that  day,  by  healing  two 
people,  and  they  watched  Him  closely,  for  they  said  it  was 
wrong  to  heal  any  one  on  the  Sabbath.  With  the  people,  the 
Sabbath  ended  at  sundown ;  and  then  they  might  work  and 
walk  again ;  and  when  the  sun  was  setting  that  evening, 
throwing  the  shadows  of  the  Western  hills  on  the  mirror  of 
the  still  Lake,  while  the  yellow  cHffs  of  Gadara  were  ruddy 
with  sunlight,  and  clouds  of  red  and  gold  still  glowed  in  the 
violet  sky  above  the  green  ranges  of  Galilee,  the  people 
brought  their  sick  and  laid  them  in  the  cool  shade  at  the 
door  of  Peter's  cottage.  And  there  Jesus  stood,  with  His 
clear,  dark  eyes  and  gentle  voice,  speaking  to  them  and 
touching  them  as  they  came,  blind,  lame,  deaf,  palsied,  and 
sending  them  away  whole ;  and  as  He  healed  the  maniacs, 
they  cried  out — 

"  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God  !  "  But  He  stopped 
them.  And  fathers  took  away  their  sons  healed,  and  mothers 
their  babes,  and  in  many  a  poor  home  there  was  joy  that  night, 
for  He  healed  them  all. 

And  if  thou  wouldst  remember  this  sunset  scene,  for  there 
is  no  finer  description  of  it  written,  learn  to  sing  the  beautiful 
hymn  which  begins  with  these  words — 

"  At  even,  ere  the  sun  was  set, 
The  sick,  O  Lord,  around  Thee  lay; 
Oh,  in  what  divers  pains  they  met! 
Oh,  with  what  joy  they  went  away !  '* 

WALKING   THROUGH   GALILEE. 

GALILEE,   SPRING,   A.D.    32. 

Early  in  the  morning,  before  it  was  light,  Jesus  rose  and 
climbed  the  green  hills  behind  Capernaum,  which  were  now 
covered  with  wild  flowers,  brighter  than  any  garden,  that  He 
might  be  alone,  a  thing  which  He  afterwards  frequently  did ; 
and  He  saw  the  golden  dawn  breaking  over  the  Gadarean 


TWO    HUNDRED    VILLAGES.  89 

hills,  and  pouring  light  upon  the  Lake  and  the  sleeping  towns 
round  it.  When  Peter  found  that  Jesus  was  away,  he  went 
with  Andrew  to  find  Him,  for  people  had  already  begun  to 
gather  round  his  cottage  door.  Knowing  His  fondness  for 
hills,  they  sought  Jesus  there,  and  finding  Him  asked  Him  to 
return  with  them,  but  He  answered — 

"  Let  us  go  into  the  other  towns  of  Galilee,  because  I  came 
for  that  purpose."  Then  they  started  on  His  first  journey 
through  all  the  villages  of  Galilee,  a  journey  which  took  some 
weeks,  for  He  went  from  village  to  village,  of  which  there 
were  about  two  hundred,  teaching  in  their  churches  and 
healing.  And  people  from  Syria,  Judaea,  and  Jerusalem, 
and  across  the  Jordan,  came  into  Galilee  to  hear  Him.  So 
many  months  had  passed  since  He  was  at  Jerusalem  that  the 
priests  took  little  notice  of  Him  at  this  time.  It  was  the 
season  for  green  grass,  tender  leaves,  and  sweet  flowers,  the  best 
time  of  the  year  for  walking,  and  He  went  over  the  whole 
of  Galilee,  which  was  about  the  size  of  a  large  English 
county,  now  speaking  in  their  little  white  pillared  churches, 
and  now  to  a  larger  crowd  under  the  evergreen  oak  trees  by 
the  wayside. 

Near  every  town  there  were  men  called  lepers,  who  suf- 
fered from  a  dreadful  illness,  and  were  not  allowed  to  come 
near  people,  or  into  their  villages,  but  had  to  rattle  a  clapper 
and  cry  "  Unclean  !  unclean  !  "  wherever  they  went.  And  one 
of  these  poor  creatures,  hearing  that  Jesus  was  in  a  certain 
town,  came  into  it,  sounding  his  clapper  and  uttering  his  cry ; 
and  the  people  shrank  back  from  him,  and  when  he  came  to 
Jesus,  he  knelt  down  and  said — 

"  Lord,  if  Thou  wilt.  Thou  canst  make  me  clean  ! "  With 
only  one  hope  left,  he  had  ventured  into  the  town,  and  Jesus 
was  sorry  for  him,  and  although  it  was  against  the  law  for  any 
one  to  touch  a  leper,  He  put  His  hand  upon  him,  and  said — • 

"  I  will,  be  thou  healed."  And  the  poor  man,  who  was 
scarcely  able  to  walk,  rose  to  his  feet  healed,  and  began  to 
thank  Jesus,  but  He  stopped  him  gently,  saying — 

"  Tell  no  one,  but  go  and  show  thyself  to  the  priest  in  the 


90  LET    THROUGH    THE    ROOF. 

Temple  at  Jerusalem,  and  give  the  present  which  the  law  says 
thou  art  to  give  for  thy  cleansing,  and  as  a  proof  of  thy  heahng." 
Jesus  wished  the  priests  to  know  what  had  been  done ;  for 
they  would  go  through  a  ceremony  with  the  leper  beside  run- 
ning water,  with  sparrows  and  cedar  wood,  and  scarlet  and 
hyssop,  that  would  take  fourteen  days,  sprinkling  the  man 
seven  times  with  water,  before  they  would  give  him  a  letter 
saying  that  he  was  healed,  without  which  priests'  letter  he 
dared  not  go  among  other  men. 

The  man  went  away,  but  he  could  not  contain  his  joy,  and 
told  every  one  he  met  what  Jesus  had  done  for  him,  and  the 
people  came  to  hear  Jesus  in  such  numbers  because  of  this, 
that  He  could  not  go  into  the  towns  for  the  crowds,  but 
remained  in  the  open  country  teaching  in  grassy  places,  and 
they  came  out  of  the  towns  to  listen  to  Him.  But  He  was 
tired,  and  could  get  no  rest  for  the  crowds  that  came  every 
day,  and  the  priests  at  Jerusalem,  hearing  of  Him,  were  again 
roused  against  Him,  and  He  went  away,  without  telling  any 
one  whither  He  was  going,  into  a  lonely  wild  place,  to  rest, 
to  think,  and  to  pray. 

Remember  if  thou  ever  feelest  bad,  and  wicked,  and  miser- 
able, what  the  poor  leper  did,  and  bring  thy  sorrow  in  spirit  to 
Jesus,  and  ask  Him  to  help  thee,  and  thou  wilt  be  strengthened 
and  made  better. 


LET   THROUGH   THE   ROOF. 

*»#  CAPERNAUM,   SPRING,   A.D.    32. 

The  fragrant  oleanders  were  now  in  full  flower,  in  masses 
of  rose  and  crimson  blossom  as  high  as  a  house,  by  the 
sides  of  the  Lake  and  the  small  water  courses  that  run  into 
it,  and  the  heavy  rich  smell  of  the  white  orange  flower  was 
wafted  across  the  plain  of  Gennesaret. 

Returning  from  his  place  of  retirement,  Jesus  quietly  entered 
Capernaum,  perhaps  at  nip;ht,  for  it  was  not  known  for  some 
days  that  He  was  back,  and  He  was  teaching  one  day  in  the 


ON    THE    HOUSE    TOP.  9 1 

open  court  of  a  large  house,  and  the  people  came  crowding  in 
to  hear  Him.  The  house  was  built  in  the  shape  of  a  square, 
with  a  court  open  to  the  sky  in  the  middle,  into  which  the 
windows  looked,  so  that  it  held  a  great  many  people.  Jesus 
sat  in  the  shaded  gallery  that  ran  round  the  court ;  and  among 
the  listeners  were  Pharisees  and  Teachers  of  the  Law,  who 
had  been  sent  from  Jerusalem  to  watch  all  that  He  said  and 
did,  and  to  tell  their  masters.  But  He  spoke  openly  and  freely 
to  the  people,  who  were  glad  to  listen. 

While  He  was  speaking,  a  young  man  who  had  palsy  was 
brought  to  the  house,  lying  upon  a  mat ;  but  his  friends  could 
not  get  near  even  the  door,  and  tying  cords  to  each  corner  of 
his  mat,  and  going  up  the  outside  stairs  of  the  house,  they  drew 
him  gently  up  to  the  flat  roof.  Then  they  carefully  removed 
some  of  the  red  tiles,  making  a  hole  wide  enough,  and  lowered 
their  friend  down  to  the  floor  at  the  feet  of  Jesus.  The  Phari- 
sees were  indignant  at  this  interruption ;  but  Jesus  was  not. 
He  was  touched  with  the  faithfulness  of  the  man  and  his 
friends,  whose  faces  were  peering  down  through  the  hole  in 
the  roof  to  see  what  would  happen,  and,  looking  kindly  on  the 
young  man,  Jesus  said  these  strange  words — 

"  Son,  all  thy  wickedness  is  forgiven  thee."  At  first  the 
people  did  not  understand  what  Jesus  meant,  for  priests  only 
used  these  words  in  the  name  of  God,  but  He  was  no  priest, 
— only  a  young  Carpenter.  "  Forgive  wickedness  !  "  And 
the  Pharisees  began  to  speak  to  each  other  indignantly — 

"  Why  doth  this  Man  speak  thus?  "  said  one.  "  Who  is  this 
that  speaketh  blasphemies ?"  said  another.  "Who  can  for- 
give sins  but  God  alone?"  exclaimed  a  third.  They  thought 
Jesus  was  only  pretending  to  forgive  wickedness.  Looking 
at  these  sham-good  men  with  searching  eyes,  Jesus  said  to 
them — 

"  Why  do  you  think  so  in  your  hearts  ?  "  but  they  did  not 
answer,  and  He  went  on,  "  Whether  is  it  easier  to  say, '  Thy  sins 
are  forgiven,'  or  to  say,  *  Arise  and  walk'?"  but  still  they  did 
not  answer ;  and  He  proceeded,  "  That  you  may  know  that  I 
have  power  to  forgive  sins  " — turning  to  the  sick  man,  He 


92  MATTHEW    THE    TAX-GATHERER. 

said,  "  I  say  to  thee,  *  Rise,  take  up  thy  mat,  and  go  home  ! '  " 
And  to  the  amazement  of  them  all,  the  young  man  rose,  and 
taking  up  his  mat,  walked  out,  thanking  God  for  his  recovery ; 
and  some  of  the  people  followed  him,  filled  with  awe,  praising 
God  for  giving  Jesus  such  power,  and  saying  to  the  people 
outside — 

"  We  have  seen  strange  things  to-day,  and  have  never  before 
seen  a  Teacher  who  could  do  such  things." 

The  Pharisees  also  were  astonished  and  offended,  and  while 
some  of  them  believed  in  Jesus,  most  of  them  thought  He 
should  be  punished  for  pretending  to  forgive  sins.  Now  the 
punishment  for  that  was  to  be  stoned  to  death.  And  as  the 
Pharisees  walked  away  from  the  house  with  their  long  flowing 
robes  and  bright  turbans,  some  of  them  said  that  any  one  who 
had  such  power  from  God  was  not  likely  to  tell  lies  ;  but  others 
said  that  to  heal  a  man  was  no  proof  that  He  could  forgive 
sins,  and  so  they  argued ;  and  the  common  people,  while 
believing  in  the  power  of  Jesus,  yet  did  not  pay  much  heed  to 
His  teaching.  And  leaving  this  house,  Jesus  went  back  to 
Peter's  cottage,  where  He  lived. 

Remember  from  this  story  how  good  a  thing  is  a  true  friend, 
for  the  friends  of  this  young  man  did  not  give  up  when  they 
could  not  get  in  by  the  door,  but  worked  on  till  they  got  him 
in  to  Jesus  by  another  way. 


MATTHEW  THE    TAX-GATHERER. 

CAPERNAUM,    SPRING,    A.D.    32. 

In  that  country  there  were  men  who  paid  money  to  the 
Romans  for  the  right  to  gather  the  taxes  from  the  Jewish 
people,  and  who  made  money  by  oppressing  and  taxing  them 
heavily.  These  men  were  called  "  Publicans  ;  "  and  they  were 
hated,  for  they  charged  toll  at  roads,  bridges,  quays,  and 
markets,  and  asked  money  for  each  parcel  of  wool,  cloth, 
wood,  wine,  fish,  or  other  goods  that  passed  through  the  town ; 
and  if  the  tax-gatherer  were  a  Jew,  he  was  hated  all  the  more 


MATTHEW  S    DINNER.  93 

for  gathering  the  Roman  taxes.  Capernaum  was  a  favourite 
town  for  taxes,  for  the  great  road  from  Damascus,  and  Syria, 
to  Jerusalem  and  the  sea,  passed  through  it,  and  Matthew,  a 
Jew,  was  the  head  tax-gatherer  there,  and  he  was  rich.  One 
day  as  he  sat  busy  at  his  work,  checking  goods  and  taking 
payment,  Jesus  stopped  at  his  toll  in  the  sunny  street,  and 
said  these  simple  words  to  him — 

"Follow  Me!"  Matthew  knew  who  Jesus  was.  He  had 
often  seen  Him  in  the  streets  followed  by  the  people,  and  had 
heard  Him  teach,  and  he  resolved  to  go  at  once  with  Him,  and 
give  up  his  tax-gathering.  He  also  gave  a  great  dinner,  and 
invited  all  the  tax-gatherers  of  the  town  and  their  friends  to 
meet  Jesus,  and  to  hear  him  say  that  he  would  no  more  keep 
the  toll.  His  friends  came  gladly,  and  filled  the  house,  to  eat, 
drink,  and  talk  with  Jesus  and  His  five  disciples ;  but  the 
Pharisees  were  shocked  with  Jesus  for  going  with  such  people. 
Yet  they  were  so  curious  to  know  what  went  on  at  the  dinner 
that  they  could  not  stay  away,  and  while  they  would  not  sit 
down  and  eat  with  Matthew's  friends,  they  came  into  the  large 
open  square  of  his  fine  house,  which  was  a  common  thing  for 
strangers  to  do,  and  looked  in  at  the  doors  and  windows,  to 
spy  and  criticise.  When  they  saw  Jesus  actually  sitting  and 
eating  with  such  people,  though  they  did  not  care  to  speak  to 
Him,  they  said  to  His  disciples  as  they  passed  out  and  in — 

"  Why  do  you  and  your  Master  eat  with  tax-gatherers  and 
bad  people  ! "  For  they  pretended  to  be  too  good  even  to 
speak  to  such  people  in  the  street,  and  whispered  to  each 
other  with  uplifted  hands,  as  they  looked  in  at  the  well  fur- 
nished table,  "  See  !  He  eateth  with  tax-gatherers  and  bad 
people  ! "  The  disciples  told  Jesus  what  they  were  saying, 
and  turning  to  the  Pharisees,  He  sent  them  away  from  the 
open  door  with  these  words — 

"  They  that  are  well  do  not  need  a  doctor,  but  only  they 
that  are  ill.  Go  away  and  learn  what  those  words  of  the 
prophet  Hosea  mean. 

'  I  desire  mercy,  and  not  sacrifice  ; 
And  the  knowledge  of  God,  more  than  burnt-offerings.' 


94        NEW  WINE  AND  OLD  BOTTLES. 

For  I  am  sent  to  call  the  wicked,  not  righteous  people 
to  become  good."  And  Jesus  took  no  further  notice  of 
them,  and  remained  at  Matthew's  dinner,  eating  of  his 
meat  and  bread,  his  oranges,  pomegranates,  melons,  ripe 
purple  grapes,  and  other  beautiful  fruits,  which  were  on  every 
rich  man's  table.  And  He  spoke  much  to  Matthew  and  his 
friends. 

The  Pharisees  and  Teachers  of  that  time  had  a  strange 
custom,  which  was  to  take  no  food  for  a  day  or  two  as  a  reU- 
gious  duty,  and  this  they  called  fasting,  and  made  a  great  show 
of  it ;  and  they  watched  Jesus  day  after  day,  and  noticed 
that  neither  He  nor  His  disciples  had  any  fast  days.  Now 
John  the  Baptist's  disciples  had  fast  days ;  and  shortly  after 
Matthew's  dinner,  the  Pharisees,  finding  fault  with  Jesus, 
said — 

"  John's  disciples  fast  often,  and  pray,  so  also  do  the  Phari- 
sees and  their  disciples ;  but  Thy  disciples  eat  and  drink." 
They  were  annoyed  that  while  they  starved  themselves,  Jesus, 
who  was  now  a  Teacher,  and  His  disciples  also,  did  not  keep 
this  somewhat  unpleasant  custom  of  the  Teachers ;  but  Jesus 
answered  that  His  disciples  had  no  reason  to  fast  while  He 
was  with  them,  but  that  when  He  was  taken  away  they  would 
fast  and  mourn.  He  also  told  them  that  He  taught  new 
things,  and  that  He  would  not  try  to  join  His  new  teaching  to 
their  old  customs,  for  that  would  only  make  things  worse  ;  and 
to  make  His  meaning  clear.  He  told  them  these  two  short 
stories. 

"  No  person  mendeth  an  old  cloak  with  a  piece  of  new  cloth, 
or  else  the  new  cloth  will  tear  the  old  cloak,  and  the  hole  will  be 
made  worse.  Also,  no  person  putteth  new  wine  into  old  leather 
bottles,  for  the  new  wine  will  ferment  and  burst  the  old  bottles, 
and  both  bottles  and  wine  will  be  spoilt ;  but  new  wine  must 
be  put  into  new  leather  bottles,  and  both  will  be  preserved." 
They  who  listened  had  often  seen  new  wine  bursting  old 
hard  leather  bottles,  that  would  not  stretch,  spilling  the  red 
wine  ;  and  they  understood  that  Jesus  meant  to  be  bound  by 
none  of  the  old  forms  and  customs  of  their  Teachers.     And 


THE    TWELVE    DISCIPLES.  95 

thus  He  let  the  Pharisees  know  that  their  rules  were  nothing 
to  Him,  and  that  He  would  teach  what  He  thought  was  right ; 
not  what  had  been  laid  down  by  other  people. 

Remember,  then,  how  foolish  it  is  to  think  thyself  better 
than  other  people,  and  to  refuse  to  speak  with  them ;  for  a 
really  good  person  can  never  appear  to  be  wicked. 


THE  TWELVE  DISCIPLES. 

HATTIN    HILL,    SPRING,  A.D.  32. 

It  was  usual  for  every  great  Teacher  to  have  some  men  who 
went  with  him  and  helped  him,  and  who  were  called  disciples  ; 
and  Jesus  was  now  about  to  choose  twelve  disciples  from 
among  His  friends,  and  to  explain  to  them  and  to  the  people, 
what  were  the  great  principles  of  His  teaching.  He  therefore 
went  away  to  be  alone,  as  He  often  did  when  He  had  a 
difficult  duty  before  Him.  Leaving  Capernaum  in  the  after- 
noon. He  walked  round  by  the  road  along  the  West  side  of  the 
Lake,  and  turning  to  His  right  hand,  passed  up  through  the 
olives  and  vines,  into  a  long  rocky  gorge  that  led  up  to  a  range 
of  cliffs,  beyond  which  was  a  great  plain  covered  with  thyme, 
and  grass  and  wild  flowers.  From  this  plain  rose  a  hill  called 
the  "  Horns  of  Hattin,"  because  it  had  two  peaks,  like  horns, 
and  a  grassy  saddle  between  them.  Climbing  one  of  these 
peaks.  He  saw  the  blue  Lake  of  Gennesaret  below  Him,  and 
Mount  Hermon  capped  with  snow  in  the  far  distance,  with 
hills,  woods,  and  rivers  between.  And  when  the  golden  sun 
set,  and  sudden  darkness  came  down,  hiding  the  earth  from 
sight,  and  opening  the  blue  starry  heavens  overhead.  He  re- 
mained there  alone,  with  the  night  wind  blowing  reed-music 
in  the  grass — remained  in  prayer  and  meditation  all  night ; 
and  when  the  rising  sun  poured  gold  over  the  Gadarean  hills, 
He  came  down  again  towards  the  green  saddle  to  meet  the 
people  who  were  coming  up  from  the  Lake-side  to  find  Him. 

Calling  His  friends  up  to  Him,  He  told  them  that  He  was 
about  to  ask  twelve  of  them  to  be  His  disciples,  who  would 


96  THEIR    NAMES. 

go  with  Him  everywhere  and  teach  with  Him ;  and  as  He 
called  them  by  their  names,  they  came  to  Him,  and  stood 
apart  from  the  rest.  He  chose  Peter,  the  quick-tempered, 
warm-hearted  fisherman,  and  Afidrezv,  his  younger  brother ; 
John,  the  gentle  and  loving,  who,  with  Andrew,  had  been 
a  disciple  of  John  the  Baptist ;  and  James,  John's  brother, 
also  a  fisherman,  and  a  man  of  quick  temper ;  then  the 
young  man  Philip,  from  the  fishing  village  of  Bethsaida ; 
Bartholomew,  from  Cana,  also  called  Nathanael,  a  learned 
man  of  singular  goodness ;  Matthew  of  Capernaum,  the  tax- 
gatherer,  who  had  joined  them  only  a  few  days  before,  and 
who  wrote  the  finest  life  of  Jesus  that  can  be  written.  All 
these  men  thou  hast  heard  of  before  :  but  He  also  chose 
Thomas  from  Galilee,  a  brave  man,  with  much  common  sense ; 
dind  James  the  Less,  znd^-Jude,  two  brothers  from  Capernaum  ; 
and  Simon  of  Galilee,  who  had  been  trained  up  in  a  fighting 
party,  but  had  left  the  Zealots ;  and  twelfth  and  last,  Judas 
Iscariot,  the  only  one  who  did  not  belong  to  Galilee,  the 
country  of  Jesus,  but  to  Judaea,  near  Jerusalem,  the  land  of 
priests  and  Pharisees.     And  He  called  them  Apostles. 

Thus  He  chose  the  young  men  who  were  to  be  His  closest 
friends,  five,  most  likely  eight  of  them,  fishermen ;  five  it  is 
said  being  His  own  cousins  ;  all,  but  one,  men  of  Galilee,  from 
near  the  Lake,  free  from  the  fear  and  influence  of  the  Jerusa- 
lem priests,  and  true  to  their  young  Fellow-countryman. 
There  in  the  morning  sunlight  they  stood,  with  the  long,  stout 
sticks  of  countrymen  in  their  hands,  apart  from  the  rest,  of 
all  men  the  best  fitted  to  spread  the  new  gospel,  yet  only  a 
band  of  iK;.rained  fishermen.  He  might  have  chosen  great 
speakers,  clever  arguers,  scholars  learned  in  the  Bible,  to  dis- 
pute with  the  old  doctors  of  the  Law,  or  even  rich  men  of  the 
highest  positions  He  could  find.  Nicodemus  the  Teacher,  the 
friends  He  made  in  the  Temple,  and  in  Judaea,  the  officer  of 
Capernaum — even  the  wise  men  of  the  East,  where  were  they? 
Young  fishermen  !  how  unsuited  for  subde  theological  dis- 
cussions with  learned  Lawyers  about  questions  of  authority 
and  tradition  !     But  were  they  so  unsuited  ? 


THE    HORNS    OF    HATTIN.  97 

Their  message  was  not  to  be  a  message  of  the  brain,  but  of 
the  heart ;  their  guide,  the  in-dvvelHng  Spirit  of  God.  Their 
knowledge  was  to  be  gathered  in  humility  from  the  lips  and 
life  of  Jesus.  Not  with  subtlety  of  reasoning,  but  with  sim- 
plicity of  truth  were  they  to  teach.  Learning,  position,  would 
have  been  of  httle  advantage  to  men  who  had  everything  to 
learn,  and  had  to  endure  a  common,  a  hard  lot.  They  were 
to  take  His  yoke  of  love  and  learn  of  Him,  learn  to  speak  in 
simplicity  of  thought  and  word,  heavenly  truths  that  would 
strike  with  all  the  force  and  clearness  of  a  revelation  which 
the  wit  of  man  would  not  be  able  to  refute  or  withstand.  But 
they  had  yet  to  hear  Jesus  explain  the  few  great  and  beautiful 
principles  which  were  to  guide  the  disciples,  and  bidding  them 
keep  near  Him,  He  went  down  the  hill  again  to  the  people 
on  the  green  level  part. 

While  He  was  thus  choosing  His  disciples,  a  large  number 
had  come  up  to  the  plain,  and  among  them  were  people  from 
all  parts  between  distant  Jerusalem  and  Judaea  on  the  South, 
and  the  foreign  cities  of  Tyre  and  Sidon  on  the  North ;  and 
many  of  them  had  brought  sick  persons  that  He  might  heal 
them.  Walking  among  them,  Jesus  touched  their  sick,  and 
many  touched  Him  as  He  passed  by,  and  He  healed  them  all ; 
and  withdrawing  again  with  His  disciples  to  a  rising  ground, 
He  prepared  to  teach  and  to  explain  His  message  to  this 
crowd  of  people,  in  the  greatest  address  that  has  ever  been 
listened  to. 

Remember,  then,  how  Jesus  prepared  Himself  for  this  great 
task  by  solitude,  prayer,  and  thought;  and  when  thou  hast 
any  difficulty  before  thee,  wait  thou  in  silence  upon  God,  and 
He  will  prepare  thy  mind  afresh,  and  give  thee  wisdom  and 
strength,  which  will  keep  thee  calm  and  fearless. 

Doing  God's  will  as  if  it  were  thine  own, 
Yet  trusting  not  thy  strength,  but  His  alone. 


qS  consider  the  lilies. 

CONSIDER   THE    LILIES. 

HATTIN    HILL,    SPRING,   A.D.    32. 

Upon  a  green  mound  on  the  hillside,  under  the  blue 
Syrian  sky,  Jesus  sat  above  the  crowd  gathered  on  the 
fragrant  thymy  floor  of  that  great  church  between  the  hills ; 
and  never  has  there  been  such  an  open-air  teaching  in  the 
world's  history.  The  young  Carpenter  of  Nazareth,  with  His 
outer  cloak  of  dark  blue  thrown  back,  showing  the  white  inner 
tunic  that  came  down  to  His  sandalled  feet,  despised  by 
the  professors  of  theology  and  doctors  of  the  Law  because 
He  quoted  not  from  the  reasonings  of  men,  yet  confident, 
because  He  taught  the  truths  of  God,  as  He  explained  to  the 
people  the  great  principles  of  the  new  message  which  He 
and  His  disciples  would  deliver  to  the  people.  I  cannot  at 
this  time  tell  thee  all  He  said.  When  thou  art  old  enough 
thou  wilt  read  it  for  thyself  in  the  fifth,  sixth,  and  seventh 
chapters  of  Matthew's  Gospel ;  but  I  shall  give  thee  parts  of 
it. 

His  face  is  calm  and  beautiful  as  He  looks  down  upon  the 
standing  people,  and  in  the  hush  that  follows  the  raising  of 
His  hand.  His  voice  rings  out  clear  and  distinct,  heard  for  a 
long  distance,  amid  the  stillness  of  the  hills — 

"  Blessed  are  the  lowly  in  spirit,''^  He  began,  "  for  Heaven  is 
theirs. 

"  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn,  for  they  shall  be  comforted. 

"  Blessed  are  the  lowly  in  7?iind,for  they  shall  get  knowledge. 

**  Blessed  are  they  who  earnestly  wish  to  be  good,  for  they  shall 
be  satisfe-^ 

^^  Blessed  are  the  merciful,  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy. 

"  Blessed  aj'e  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God. 

"Blessed  are  the  peacemakers,  for  they  shall  be  called  the 
children  of  God.^^ 

These  simple,  beautiful  words  told  them  of  good  in  things 
which  they  did  not  know  were  blessed  before.  He  did  not 
stop  to  prove  or  explain  these  truths,  but  spoke  them  with 
authority.     And  turning  to  His  disciples.  He  continued — 


THE    GOLDEN    RULE.  $9 

"  Blessed  are  you  when  men  shall  punish  you  and  say  untrue 
things  about  you  for  My  sake  ;  rejoice  then,  and  be  glad,  for  so 
were  good  men  punished  before  you.  You  are  the  light  of  the 
world.  Let  your  light  so  shine,  that  men  shall  see  your  good 
deeds  and  praise  God.  Whoever  teacheth  the  truth  shall  be 
called  great  in  Heaven ;  but  unless  you  are  better  than  the 
Pharisees,  you  shall  not  have  Heaven."  And,  speaking  again 
to  the  people.  He  continued — 

"  Whoever  is  angry  with  his  brother,  doeth  wrong ;  and  if 
thou  art  going  to  pray,  and  rememberest  that  thy  brother  hath 
something  against  thee,  leave  thy  prayers  :  go  and  be  friends 
with  thy  brother,  and  then  come  and  pray."  Now,  it  was  a 
very  common  thing  for  the  people  to  use  oaths,  and  their 
Teachers  allowed  them  to  do  so.  But  Jesus  said  to  them  now — 

"  Swear  not  at  all,  neither  by  Heaven,  nor  by  the  earth,  nor 
by  Jerusalem,  nor  by  thy  head  " — all  of  which  were  common 
oaths  with  the  people.  "  But  let  your  speaking  be  simple,  saying 
only, '  Yes '  and  '  No,'  for  whatever  is  more  than  that  is  wicked." 

"Your  Teachers  have  also  taught  you,"  He  continued,  "to 
hate  your  enemies  and  love  your  friends ;  but  I  tell  you  that 
you  are  to  love  your  enemies ;  do  good  to  them  that  hate 
you,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  and  pray  for  them  that  spite- 
fully use  you :  and  to  him  that  striketh  thee  on  one  cheek, 
turn  the  other  cheek  also.  Give  to  him  that  asketh  of  thee, 
and  from  him  that  wisheth  to  borrow,  turn  not  away.  Do  to 
others  as  you  would  that  they  should  do  to  you,  for  that  is  the 
whole  Bible ;  for  if  you  love  only  them  that  love  you,  or  do 
good  only  to  them  that  do  good  to  you,  you  deserve  no  thanks. 
Even  bad  people  do  that.  But  you  should  love  your  enemies, 
do  good  and  lend,  despairing  of  no  man ;  that  you  may  be 
true  children  of  God,  merciful  as  He  is  merciful,  for  God  is 
kind  to  the  ungrateful  and  the  wicked,  making  His  sun  to 
shine  on  the  bad  and  on  the  good,  and  sending  His  rain  on 
the  just  and  on  the  unjust.  Therefore  be  perfect,  as  your 
Father  in  Heaven  is  perfect."  Thus  Jesus  gave  them  what 
has  been  called  the  golden  rule  of  unselfishness,  the  children's 
Bible ;  and  told  them  of  the  beautiful  truth  that  God  is  His 


lOO  JUDGE    NOT    ONE    ANOTHER. 

Father  and  our  Father.  Speaking  next  about  money,  He 
said — 

"  Do  not  heap  up  treasures  on  earth  where  moth  and  rust 
spoil,  and  thieves  break  in  and  steal ;  but  gather  treasures  in 
Heaven,  for  where  your  treasure  is,  there  will  your  thoughts 
be.  The  eye  is  the  window  of  the  mind  :  if  thine  eye  be  pure, 
thy  whole  mind  shall  be  full  of  Hght ;  but  if  it  be  wicked,  thy 
mind  shall  be  full  of  darkness.  Take  care  that  the  light 
which  is  in  thee  be  not  darkened.  Thou  canst  not  serve  both 
the  spirit  of  badness  and  the  Spirit  of  goodness;  one  thou 
must  hate,  and  one  love. 

*'  Do  not  be  too  anxious  about  what  you  shall  eat,  and 
drink,  and  wear.  Think  of  the  ravens."  And  as  He  spoke 
He  pointed  to  the  passing  birds  that  flew  with  black  wings  in 
the  bright  sky  overhead — "  They  sow  not,  neither  do  they 
reap,  nor  gather  into  barns,  but  your  Father  in  Heaven  feedeth 
them.  Why  are  you  anxious  about  clothing?  Consider  the 
lilies  of  the  field  how  they  grow  ;  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they 
spin  ;  yet  I  say  unto  you  that  evefi  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was 
not  arrayed  like  one  of  these  !  Do  not  say,  What  shall  we  eat, 
What  shall  we  drink  ?  How  shall  we  be  clothed  ?  but  seek 
goodness  first,  and  all  these  things  will  follow.  Fear  not,  little 
flock,  for  it  is  your  Father's  good  pleasure  to  give  you  Heaven." 
He  knew  that  on  their  way  to  the  hills  that  morning  they  had 
seen  the  wild  lilies  of  the  field  in  all  their  beauty — sown  by 
the  winds,  watered  by  the  clouds,  coloured  by  the  sun — in 
the  green  moist  hollows  by  the  springs,  growing  without  the 
help  of  man,  and  from  them  he  drew  the  finest  picture  in  the 
world's  Ijuoks ;  for  Solomon,  in  purple  robes  and  crown  of 
gold,  was  the  wisest,  richest  among  kings,  and  yet  the  simple 
lily  by  the  roadside  was  fairer  far  than  he,  for  the  hand  of  man 
could  neither  paint  the  scarlet  shadows  on  its  velvet  flowers, 
nor  weave  the  shining  texture  of  its  leaves  of  green.  Speak- 
ing to  His  disciples  again.  He  continued — 

"  A  disciple  is  not  above  his  Master,  but  every  disciple, 
when  he  is  perfected,  shall  be  like  his  Master.  Do  not 
judge  each  other.     Do  not  notice  thy  neighbour's  faults  and 


THE    HOUSE    BUILT    ON    ROCK.  lOI 

forget  thine  own,  for  how  canst  thou  say  to  him,  *  Give  up  thy 
faults,'  when  thou  dost  not  give  up  thine  own?  That  is 
hypocrisy ;  but  first  give  up  thine  own  faults,  and  then  thou 
wilt  see  clearly  how  to  advise  thy  neighbour."  He  told  them 
next  how  to  pray,  and  gave  them  a  beautiful  short  prayer,  of 
which  I  shall  speak  at  another  time ;  and  He  also  told  them 
to  ask  for  the  Spirit  of  God  of  which  He  spoke  to  the  woman 
at  the  well  of  Sychar,  and  said  that  all  in  that  crowd  who 
asked  God  would  receive  His  Spirit.  Of  their  false  Teachers, 
He  said — 

"  Beware  of  false  Teachers,  who  look  kind,  but  are  wicked. 
You  shall  know  them  by  what  they  do,  not  by  what  they  say. 
Good  men  are  known  by  their  good  deeds,  for  grapes  do  not 
grow  on  thorns,  nor  figs  on  thistles."  He  was  now  near  the 
end  of  His  address,  and  the  boldness  of  the  young  Carpenter 
impressed  them  all  when  He  said — 

"  Not  every  person  that  saith.  Lord  !  to  Me,  shall  have 
Heaven,  but  only  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  God  My  Father  in 
Heaven.  Many  will  say  to  Me,  '  Lord  !  Lord  !  did  we  not 
heal  maniacs  and  foretell  events,  and  do  many  great  things  in 
Thy  Name  ? '  And  I  will  answer,  '  I  never  knew  you  :  depart 
from  Me,  you  who  do  wickedness.' "  He  then  put  this  question 
to  all  who  were  Hstening  to  Him — 

"Why  do  you  call  Me  'Lord/  and  do  not  what  I  tell 
you?"  In  the  pause  which  followed,  no  one  answered  Him, 
and  He  closed  His  address  with  a  story  with  two  pictures, 
which  divided  the  crowd  before  Him  into  those  who  were  for 
Him,  and  those  who  were  against  Him. 

"  Every  one,"  He  said,  "who  heareth  these  words  of  Mine, 
and  doeth  them,  is  like  a  wise  man  who  built  his  house  upon 
a  rock ;  and  the  rains  and  floods  and  winds  blew  and  beat 
upon  that  house,  and  it  fell  not :  for  it  was  built  upon  a 
rock  ;  and  every  one  who  heareth  these  words  of  Mine  and 
doeth  them  not,  is  like  a  fooHsh  man  who  built  his  house 
upon  sand ;  and  the  rains  and  floods  and  winds  blew  and 
smote  upon  that  house,  and  it  fell :  for  it  was  built  upon  sand." 

His  voice  ceased.     He  had  ended  His  great  address ;  and, 


102  THE    POOL    OF    BETHESDA. 

with  these  warning  words  ringing  in  their  ears,  the  crowd  began 
slowly  to  break  up  and  scatter  homewards  down  the  hill.  And 
as  the  people  went  away,  they  said  to  each  other  what  they  had 
often  said  before — that  they  were  astonished  at  His  teaching, 
and  amazed  at  the  grave  authority,  as  of  absolute  truth,  with 
which  He  spoke ;  for  He  spoke  not  like  their  old  Teachers, 
who  did  not  venture  to  say  anything  new,  and  never  tired  of 
quoting  the  authority  of  great  men  for  every  word  they  said. 

And  thou,  too,  must  decide  whether  thou  wilt  build  thy  life 
upon  a  rock  or  upon  sand,  on  firm  goodness  or  on  shifting 
wickedness,  for  one  of  these  thou  must  do.  And  go  not  away, 
as  many  in  that  crowd  did,  without  settling  one  thing  or 
another,  for  that  is  weak,  if  not  wicked,  but  choose  thou  to 
follow  goodness. 

THE     POOL   OF   BETHESDA. 

JERUSALEM,    SPRING,   A.D.    32. 

From  the  Hill  of  Hattin,  Jesus  returned  to  Peter's  house  at 
Capernaum,  where  He  stayed  a  few  days ;  then  He  went 
again  to  Jerusalem  with  His  disciples  to  attend  a  Festival,  the 
name  of  which  is  not  known — perhaps  the  Festival  of  Purim, 
in  March,  perhaps  the  Passover  in  April. 

Beside  the  Sheep  Gate  at  Jerusalem,  through  which  sheep 
and  cattle  were  driven  into  the  city,  there  was  a  large  pool 
of  water  cut  out  of  the  rock,  called  "Bethesda,"  meaning 
"The  house  of  mercy  ;"  and  at  certain  times  the  water  moved, 
with  air  j^'2lls  rising  up  through  it,  and  the  people  bathed  in  it. 
There  are  such  pools  at  Jerusalem  still.  It  had  a  coloured 
pavement  all  round  it,  with  steps  going  down  into  the  water, 
and  a  roof  over  it,  with  five  porches  to  enter  by.  And  the 
people  believed  it  was  an  angel  that  moved  the  water,  and 
that  whoever  went  in  first  would  be  healed ;  and  every  day 
poor  sick,  lame,  and  blind  people  lay  round  the  pool,  watching 
for  the  moving  of  the  water. 

One  Sabbath  day,  as  Jesus  was  going  into  the  city  by  this 
gate.  He  went  over  to  the  pool,  where  the  sick  people  were, 


SABBATH    RULES.  IO3 

and  going  among  them,  He  saw  a  poor  old  man  who  had  not 
walked  for  thirty-eight  years — which  was  seven  years  before 
Jesus  was  born.  For  years  he  had  been  carried,  day  after  day 
in  the  morning  to  this  pool,  and  taken  back  at  night,  always 
failing  to  get  in  first  when  the  water  moved  ;  and  as  he  lay  on 
his  mat,  with  his  eyes  turned  wistfully  towards  the  sparkling 
pool,  Jesus  said — 

"  Dost  thou  wish  to  be  healed  ? "  to  which  the  man  an- 
swered in  a  hopeless  voice — 

"  Sir,  I  have  no  one  to  put  me  in  when  the  water  is  moved ; 
but  while  I  am  coming,  another  one  steppeth  down  before 
me."  He  had  often  tried,  but  only  being  able  to  crawl,  while 
others  walked,  he  had  no  chance ;  and  Jesus,  pitying  him, 
said  the  same  thrilling  words  to  him  which  He  spoke  to  the 
palsied  young  man  at  Capernaum — 

"  Rise,  take  up  thy  mat,  and  walk."  And  the  old  man 
rose  to  his  feet,  and  stooping  down  rolled  up  his  mat, 
earnestly  thanking  Jesus  for  healing  him,  and  walked  out 
of  the  porch,  carrying  his  mat,  while  the  people  gazed  at 
him  in  wonder.  But  the  Pharisees  had  a  little  rule  that  it 
was  wrong  to  carry  anything  on  the  Sabbath,  even  a  loaf 
of  bread,  but  they  allowed  two  persons  to  carry  one  loaf 
between  them ;  nor  would  they  allow  any  one  to  walk  a 
mile,  or  light  a  fire  on  the  Sabbath,  although  they  contrived 
to  enjoy  good  feasts  themselves  on  that  day.  The  man  had 
not  carried  his  bed  far  along  the  street  before  some  one, 
intending  to  have  him  punished,  stopped  him,  saying 
angrily — 

''This  is  the  Sabbath  day.  It  is  not  right  for  thee  to 
carry  thy  mat."  To  which  the  old  man,  excusing  himself, 
replied — 

"  He  who  healed  me,  told  me  to  take  up  my  mat,  and 
carry  it  away."     But  the  Pharisee  said  sharply — 

"  Who  told  thee  to  do  this?  "  Now,  the  man  did  not  know 
who  Jesus  was,  and  said  so ;  and  although  they  went  back 
together  to  the  pool  of  Bethesda,  they  could  not  find  Jesus, 
for  He  had  gone  away.     After  making  the  man  put  down 


I04  GOD    IS    MY    FATHER. 

his  mat,  and  promise  to  tell  whenever  he  found    out  who 
had  healed  him,  he  was  allowed  to  go  home. 

Some  days  after  this,  Jesus  met  the  old  man  in  the  Golden 
Temple,  and  knowing  what  kind  of  man  he  was.  He  said  to 
him — 

"  Now  that  thou  art  healed,  be  wicked  no  more,  lest  a 
worse  thing  happen  to  thee."  The  man  now  knew  that  it 
was  Jesus  who  had  healed  him,  and  out  of  fear,  he  went 
and  told  the  Pharisees.  Now  the  Pharisees  were  most 
particular  about  their  Sabbath  rules,  and  when  they  heard 
that  it  was  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  He  who  had  cleared  the 
Temple,  and  had  already  healed  two  people  on  the  Sabbath 
day  at  Capernaum,  who  now  dared,  in  Jerusalem  itself,  to 
break  two  of  their  rules  in  one  day  by  heahng  a  man,  and 
telling  him  to  carry  his  mat,  they  were  very  angry,  and  re- 
solved to  watch  Jesus,  and  have  Him  punished.  What 
wouldst  thou  think  of  men  who  found  fault  with  a  doctor 
for  curing  people  on  the  Sabbath?  And  yet  the  priests  of 
Jerusalem  began  to  follow  Jesus  about,  and  to  annoy  Him. 
But  He  replied  to  them — 

"  My  Father  in  Heaven  worketh  until  now,  and  I  work." 
This  only  made  them  more  angry,  for  they  exclaimed — 

"  He  calleth  God  His  Father,  making  Himself  equal  with 
God  !  "     And  they  resolved  still  more  to  have  Him  punished. 

Nevertheless  He  went  every  day  to  the  Golden  Temple 
to  teach  in  the  great  pillared  porches,  where  the  other 
Teachers  were,  and  there  He  met  His  bitter  enemies,  the 
priests,  ajpd  had  discussions  with  them,  defending  Himself 
for  calling  God  His  Father ;  and  as  it  was  a  Festival  time, 
many  people  heard  Him,  as  He  spoke,  saying — 

"  I  can  do  nothing  without  the  help  of  God,  My  Father 
in  Heaven.  He  loveth  Me,  and  showeth  Me  all  things  that 
He  doeth,  and  greater  things  than  those  that  I  have  done 
will  He  show  Me,  that  you  may  wonder.  He  that  knoweth 
not  Me,  knoweth  not  God  Who  sent  Me  ;  and  he  that  heareth 
My  words,  and  believeth  on  God  Who  sent  Me  shall  have 
Heaven. 


JUDEAN    CHURCHES    CLOSED.  IO5 

"  I  judge  from  what  I  hear ;  and  I  judge  righteously,  be- 
cause I  do  not  seek  Mine  own  way,  but  God's  way,  who 
sent  Me.  He  is  the  witness  of  the  truth  of  what  I  say, 
and  not  I  Myself.  You  sent  messengers  to  John  the  Baptist, 
to  ask  if  I  am  the  Christ ;  and  he  answered  you.  He 
was  indeed  a  great  man,  and  for  a  time  you  praised  him. 
But  the  witness  which  I  have  is  greater  even  than  John, 
greater  than  all  men;  the  things  which  God  hath  given 
Me  to  do,  they  show  that  God  sent  Me,  and  that  He  is  My 
Father. 

"  But  you  Pharisees  have  neither  heard  nor  seen  God,  nor 
have  you  His  Spirit  in  you,  for  you  do  not  believe  My  words, 
whom  God  hath  sent.  You  read  your  Bibles,  and  by  them 
you  hope  to  have  Heaven,  and  yet  you  do  not  see  that  the 
Bible  speaketh  of  Me ;  and  you  refuse  to  come  to  Me  that 
you  may  get  that  Heaven  for  which  you  seek.  You  have  not 
God's  Spirit  in  you,  or  you  would  believe  Me  when  I  come  in 
His  Name ;  but  if  some  other  one  were  to  come  in  his  own 
name,  you  would  believe  him. 

"  Do  not  suppose  that  I  will  blame  you  before  God.     Moses 
will  do  so — Moses  in  whom  you  trust ;  for,  if  you  believed  • 
Moses,  you  would  also  believe  Me,  for  he  wrote  about  Me. 
But  if  you  believe  not  what  Moses  wrote,  how  can  I  expect 
you  to  believe  what  I  say?  " 

Thus  He  told  the  priests,  in  the  presence  of  the  crowds  who 
were  listening  out  in  the  open  court  of  the  Temple  at  that 
Festival  time,  that  He  was  Jesus  the  Christ  sent  by  God,  of 
whom  Moses  wrote,  and  if  they  did  not  believe  His  words,  to 
believe  from  His  good  deeds  and  good  life  that  He  spoke  the 
truth.  But  they  only  hated  Him  the  more,  for  what  He  said, 
yet  they  did  not  dare  to  touch  Him,  for  the  common  people 
liked  Him.  But  soon  the  priests  and  Pharisees  forced  Him  to 
leave  Jerusalem  again,  nor  could  He  even  teach  in  Judaea 
as  He  passed  through  it  on  His  way  home  to  Galilee,  for  the 
priests  would  not  allow  Him.  And  thus  early  were  the 
churches  of  Judaea  closed  by  the  priests  of  Jerusalem  against 
Him,  for  although  He  had  only  been  a  Teacher  for  a  little 


I06  IN    THE    BARLEY-FIELDS. 

over  a  year,  yet  they  would  not  allow  Him  to  teach  there 
again. 

Remember,  then,  that  Jesus  did  not  care  for  the  little 
Sabbath  rules  of  men,  who  said  that  what  was  good  on  Satur- 
day was  wicked  on  the  Sabbath,  and  that  He  broke  these  rules 
to  free  the  people. 

IN   THE   BARLEY-FIELDS. 

JERICHO,  SUMMER,  A.D.  32. 

Hast  thou  ever  gone  through  a  narrow  foot-path  in  the 
barley-fields  in  Autumn,  when  the  ripe  yellow  grain,  taller  than 
thy  shoulder,  nodded  to  thee  from  each  side,  holding  out  here 
and  there  a  heavy  spiked  head  level  with  thy  face,  for  thee  to 
pluck  it? 

On  the  Sabbath,  Jesus  and  His  disciples  were  walking  back 
to  Galilee,  and  their  path  lay  through  a  barley-field,  perhaps 
in  the  fruitful  plain  of  Jericho,  for  although  it  was  still  early 
Summer,  the  barley  was  ripe — it  ripens  there  in  April — 
and  His  disciples  plucked  the  ears  of  barley,  and,  rubbing 
them  between  their  hands,  blew  off  the  chaff,  and  ate  the 
grain,  for  they  were  hungry,  and  this  was  a  common  thing  to 
do  in  that  country.  Among  those  who  followed  them  were 
spies  from  Jerusalem,  sent  to  watch  Jesus,  and  they  were 
glad  to  see  this,  for  they  had  found  Him  again  breaking 
their  little  Sabbath  rules,  which  said  that  to  pluck  an  ear  of 
barley  was  to  reap,  and  to  rub  it,  was  to  thresh,  and  so  the 
disciples  were  reaping  and  threshing,  they  said,  on  the  Sabbath. 
And  pretCxiding  to  be  much  shocked,  they  went  up  to  Jesus, 
talking  loudly,  and  pointing  at  His  disciples — 

"  Sir,  Thy  disciples  are  doing  what  it  is  not  right  to  do  on 
the  Sabbath,"  they  exclaimed,  expecting  Him  to  call  them 
back.  But  He  let  them  go  on  plucking  and  eating,  for  He  was 
about  to  show  the  spies  that  He  cared  nothing  for  their 
foolish  and  oppressive  Sabbath  rules,  and  turning  to  those  who 
spoke  to  Him,  He  told  them  that  their  Sabbath  niles  were  only 
small   and   foolish  customs,  which  did  harm^  and  He  gave 


THE    SABBATH    FOR    MAN.  I07 

instances  from  the  Bible  in  which  such  customs  had  been  set 
aside,  saying — 

"  Have  you  ever  read  in  your  Bibles  what  King  David  did 
when  he  was  poor  and  hungry?  He  went  into  the  Great 
Tabernacle,  when  Abiathar  was  the  High-priest  there,  and  ate 
the  shew-bread,  which  none  but  the  priests  might  eat,  and 
gave  it  also  to  his  followers."  Now  the  Pharisees  knew  of  this, 
and  that  no  one  had  ever  blamed  King  David  for  breaking  a 
Httle  rule  in  order  to  feed  his  starving  men.  "  Have  you  not 
also  read,"  Jesus  continued,  "  how  that  the  priests  work  in  the 
Temple  on  the  Sabbath  day,  and  do  no  wrong?  I  am  greater 
than  the  Temple  ! "  The  Pharisees  now  saw  that  they  had 
been  too  hasty.  They  did  not  expect  that  this  young  Car- 
penter would  know  His  Bible  so  well.  But  Jesus  was  not  done 
with  them,  for  He  told  them  that  they  did  not  understand  the 
most  important  things  in  their  Bible,  saying — 

"  If  you  had  known  what  these  words  of  the  Bible  mean, 

'  I  desire  mercy,  and  not  sacrifice ; 

And  the  knowledge  of  God  more  than  burnt  offerings,' 
you  would  not  have  blamed  the  innocent,"  pointing,  as  He 
spoke,  to  His  disciples,  and  adding,  "  The  Sabbath  was  made 
for  man,  and  not  man  for  the  Sabbath,"  meaning  that  it  was 
made  to  relieve,  and  not  to  oppress  men, — and  He  ended  with 
these  words,  which  filled  the  Pharisees  with  amazement  and 
anger,  and  His  disciples  with  pleasure,  "  I  am  Lord  of  the 
Sabbath."  Thus,  before  letting  the  spies  go.  He  told  them 
that  His  disciples  were  innocent  of  any  fault,  and  that,  His 
authority  was  higher  than  that  of  their  masters  at  Jerusalem. 
With  scowling  faces,  the  Pharisees  retired,  defeated  and 
humbled  before  the  common  people ;  told  that  their  rules 
were  wrong,  and  that  they  should  be  more  merciful.  This 
was  the  fourth  time  that  Jesus  had  broken  their  Sabbath  rules  ; 
and  He  resumed  His  journey  through  the  fields  towards  the 
Fords  of  Jordan,  and  Galilee. 

Thus  Jesus  showed  that  in  the  true  meaning  of  the  Bible 
the  Sabbath  is  as  free  as  any  other  day  for  doing  what  is  good 
in.     There  is  nothing  in  the  day  that  can  make  what  thou 


I08        STRETCH  OUT  THINE  HAND. 

doest  good  or  bad,  for  the  day  which  is  now  called  the  Sabbath 
is  not  the  same  day  that  was  called  the  Sabbath  then ;  nor  is 
it  now  kept  on  the  same  day  of  the  week,  nor  at  the  same 
hour  of  the  day.  Our  Sabbath  is  from  twelve  on  Saturday 
night  to  twelve  on  Sunday  night ;  their  Sabbath  was  from  sun- 
set on  Friday  to  sunset  on  Saturday,  and  whatever  is  right  to 
do  at  one  minute  to  twelve  o'clock,  can  never  become  wrong 
to  do  at  one  minute  past  twelve,  by  the  mere  passing  of  the 
hour. 

Do  thou  remember,  then,  that  while  the  Sabbath  is  a  day 
fitted  for  rest  from  work  and  for  special  worship,  that  all  days 
are  alike  good,  and  that  whatever  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  in  thy 
conscience  telleth  thee  is  right  to  do  on  the  Sabbath,  that  is 
right  for  thee. 

STRETCH  OUT  THINE  HAND. 

GALILEE,   SUMMER,  A.D.   32. 

It  was  now  warm  Summer-time,  and  the  trees  were  in  full 
leaf  beside  the  little  brooks  that  had  been  dried  up  with  the 
sun,  and  the  roads  were  hot  and  dusty.  As  Jesus  went 
through  Gahlee  on  His  way  home  to  Capernaum,  He  taught 
in  the  churches  of  the  villages  through  which  He  passed, 
and  one  Sabbath  day  it  became  known  that  He  was  to  teach 
in  a  certain  church,  and  a  crowd  of  people  came  to  hear 
Him,  and  Pharisees  came  to  spy.  There  also  came  in  a 
man  with  a  withered  hand,  and  they  watched  to  see  what 
Jesus  would  do. 

The  Pharisees  sat  in  their  places  at  the  head  of  the  church, 
and  looked  grim  and  severe  when  Jesus  with  his  beautiful  face 
and  white  tunic  entered  and  passed  up  through  the  people  and 
sat  down  beside  them — a  Teacher  also,  but  of  a  very  different 
kind.  The  service  began,  and  as  every  one  expected,  when 
the  time  for  speaking  came,  Jesus  rose,  and,  going  to  the 
Teacher's  seat,  began  to  speak  to  the  people,  but  took  no 
notice  of  the  man  with  the  withered  hand,  who  was  sitting  a 
little  way  off.     The  Pharisees,  who  could  think  of  nothing  but 


IS    IT    RIGHT    TO    DO    GOOD?  IO9 

His  breaking  their  Sabbath  rules,  soon  interrupted  Jesus  with 
this  pointed  question — 

"Is  it  right  to  heal  on  the  Sabbath  day?"  they  asked.  A 
glance  at  their  stern  faces  told  Jesus  that  again  they  wished  to 
dispute  the  Sabbath  question,  and  that  the  poor  man  was  to 
be  the  cause  of  the  dispute,  and  He  at  once  accepted  their 
challenge,  saying  to  the  man — 

"  Rise  up,  and  stand  out  on  the  floor,"  and  the  man  rose 
and  stood  out  in  the  stone  passage,  and  everybody  saw  that 
his  hand  was  withered  by  his  side. 

"Which  of  you,"  Jesus  said,  speaking  to  all  the  people, 
"  whose  sheep  has  fallen  into  a  hole  on  the  Sabbath  would  not 
Uft  it  out  ?  Is  a  sheep,  then,  better  than  a  man  ? ' '  And  turning 
to  the  stern-faced  Pharisees,  He  said — 

"  I  ask  you,  is  it  right  to  do  good  or  to  do  wickedness  on 
the  Sabbath  day?  To  save  hfe,  or  to  destroy  it?  "  But  they 
would  not  answer.  They  were  afraid  to  answer  Him,  lest  they 
should  make  some  mistake ;  and  as  He  looked  at  the  row  of 
cruel  hypocrites  who,  pretending  to  worship,  had  come  there 
to  plot  mischief,  His  face  flushed,  and  His  dark  eyes  flashed 
with  anger.  Sitting  with  grave,  hard  faces,  not  one  of  them 
would  say  that  yonder  poor  man  might  be  healed ;  they 
would  rather  he  went  maimed  for  life  than  admit  that  Jesus 
was  right.  Looking  from  one  to  another  of  them,  Jesus  was 
grieved  with  their  cruel  hearts,  but  when  his  eyes  turned  to 
the  expectant  face  of  the  poor  man.  He  said  in  a  clear  ringing 
voice — 

"Stretch  out  thine  hand  ! "  And  at  once  the  man  lifted  up 
his  hand,  whole  and  well,  and  all  the  people  saw  it,  and  the 
Pharisees  also.  Were  the  Pharisees  glad  to  see  it?  No  ! 
They  could  not  bear  the  sight,  but  filled  with  anger,  rose  in 
haste,  and  catching  up  their  long  robes,  they  hurried  out  of  the 
church,  leaving  Jesus  to  teach  what  He  pleased. 

Once  more  they  had  been  defeated  on  the  Sabbath  ques- 
tion by  the  young  Carpenter ;  and  they  consulted  together. 
Now,  there  were  certain  violent  men  called  Herodians,  who 
hated  Jesus,  but  they  also  jeered  at  the  Pharisees,  yet  the 


no  THE    OFFICERS    SERVANT. 

Pharisees  made  friends  of  them,  and  plotted  with  them  how 
Jesus  might  be  destroyed.  And  while  they  whispered  to- 
gether outside,  Jesus  dismissed  the  people,  and  withdrew  from 
the  church,  and  hearing  of  their  plotting,  He  left  that  village, 
and  went  on  towards  Capernaum.  And  everywhere  He  went 
through  the  sunny  country,  the  people  left  their  fields  and 
gardens,  their  markets  and  shops,  and  came  to  Him,  to  listen 
and  to  have  their  sick  healed,  for  they  loved  Him ;  but  Jesus 
told  them  not  to  speak  of  the  wonders  He  did,  for  He  wished 
to  go  about  quietly.  This  is  the  only  time  thou  wilt  read  of 
Jesus  being  angry,  though  thou  wilt  hear  of  Him  weeping  and 
rejoicing,  for  He  could  hate  and  love,  and  felt  anger  and  grief 
and  joy,  just  like  thee  or  me ;  but  His  nature  was  so  beauti- 
fully balanced,  and  in  such  perfect  control,  that  His  passions 
never  carried  Him  away  into  wickedness. 

Thou,  my  child,  wilt  sometimes  hear  Jesus  spoken  of  as 
One  who  was  never  angry,  but  that  is  not  correct.  Yet  if  thou 
wouldst  be  like  Him,  and  do  no  wickedness  when  anger  is 
upon  thee,  thou  must  keep  quiet,  and  do  nothing  until  thine 
anger  has  passed  away,  and  then  thou  wilt  be  safe  to  speak 
and  act  wisely. 

THE   OFFICER'S   SERVANT. 

CAPERNAUM,    SUMMER,   A.D.    32. 

Walking  through  Galilee  and  down  to  the  Lake-side,  by  the 
rich  plain  of  Gennesaret,  where  the  grain  was  standing  in 
fields  of  waving  yellow  that  were  nearly  ready  for  reaping, 
Jesus  was-  oon  at  home  again  in  Peter's  house  at  Capernaum. 
There  He  remained  some  days,  and  then,  taking  His  disciples 
with  Him,  He  went  on  a  journey  among  the  towns  and 
villages  round  the  shores  of  the  Lake.  He  taught  the  people 
in  the  open  air,  and,  as  before,  they  came  long  distances  to 
hear  Him,  going  with  Him  from  place  to  place,  the  crowds 
at  times' being  so  great,  that  He  told  His  disciples  to  follow 
Him  on  the  water  with  a  boat,  so  that  He  might  get  into  it 
when  the  crowd  of  people  pressing  on  Him  to  touch  Him, 


THE    VILLAGES    ROUND    THE    LAKE.  I  I  I 

was  too  great.  He  also  taught  them  from  the  boat  as  He  had 
done  before,  and  when  He  healed  any  one  He  told  them  not 
to  talk  about  it.  He  would  visit  in  this  way  the  splendid  town 
of  Tiberias,  with  its  warm  springs  that  flowed  steaming  into 
the  Lake,  touch  the  rocky  shore  of  Magdala,  and  the  grassy 
meadows  of  Bethsaida,  and  sail  under  the  yellow  cliffs  of 
Gadara,  and  see  the  tall,  feathery  palms  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Jordan,  and  the  great  oleander  bushes  that  with  their  sweet 
scented  blossoms  of  red  and  white  lined  the  Lake's  edge  at 
the  plain  of  Gennesaret.  It  would  take  Jesus  several  days  to 
go  round  the  Lake  in  this  way,  for  it  was  twenty-five  miles 
round,  and  He  returned  again  to  Capernaum. 

Now  there  was  a  Roman  officer  called  a  Centurion,  for  he 
had  charge  of  a  hundred  soldiers,  who  lived  at  Capernaum, 
whose  favourite  servant  was  ill,  and  though  not  a  Jew,  he  was 
a  good  man,  and  was  much  liked  by  the  people  for  his  kind- 
ness. And  when  he  heard  of  the  return  of  Jesus,  he  went  to 
the  chief  men  of  the  town  and  asked  them  to  get  Jesus  to 
come  and  heal  his  servant,  as  he  did  not  like  to  ask  himself. 
And  they  came  to  Jesus  and  praised  the  good  Centurion, 
saying — 

"  He  well  deserveth  that  Thou  shouldst  do  this  for  him,  for 
he  loveth  our  people,  and  hath  built  us  the  church  in  which 
we  worship."  And  they  begged  Him  to  go  with  them  to  the 
Centurion's  house,  and  Jesus  consented,  and  word  was  sent 
on  before,  to  tell  that  they  were  coming.  While  Jesus  was 
still  on  the  way,  some  men  met  Him,  coming  from  the 
Centurion  with  this  message,  which  they  gave  before  the 
people — 

"  Lord  !  our  friend  bade  us  tell  thee  not  to  trouble  to  come, 
for  he  doth  not  think  himself  worthy  that  Thou  shouldst 
enter  his  house,  nor  good  enough  to  come  to  Thee,  wherefore 
he  hath  sent  us ;  but  he  saith  if  Thou  wilt  but  say  the  word, 
his  servant  will  be  healed.  He  also  saith  that  he  is  a  man 
with  soldiers  under  him,  and  when  he  commandeth  one  to  go, 
he  goeth,  or  to  come,  he  cometh,  or  telleth  a  servant  to  do  a 
thing,  he  doeth  it."     The  message  meant  that  Jesus,  being  a 


112  THE    WIDOW  S    SON. 

Jew,  might  not  care  to  go  into  a  foreigner's  house,  and  that  He 
could  command  the  servant's  sickness,  just  as  the  Centurion 
did  his  soldiers.  When  Jesus  heard  this  message,  He  won- 
dered to  find  so  much  trust  and  humility  in  a  foreign  soldier, 
where  it  was  least  to  be  expected.  How  different  from  the 
suspicious  Jews  and  fault-finding  Pharisees  !  and  turning 
round  as  He  stood  on  the  road,  He  said  to  His  disciples  and 
the  people  who  were  following  Him — 

"  I  say,  I  have  not  found  so  much  trust  as  this  among 
Jews.  And  I  tell  you  that  many  strangers  from  all  parts  of  the 
world  shall  enter  Heaven,  and  many  Jews  will  be  cast  out  into 
darkness."  And  He  bade  the  messengers  go  back  and  tell 
the  Centurion  that  because  of  his  trust  in  Him,  He  would  do 
what  he  had  asked.  And  the  men  returned  to  the  Centurion's 
house  and  found  him  no  longer  sad,  for  his  servant  was  healed, 
and  they  told  him  all  that  Jesus  had  said.  But  the  people 
were  displeased  with  Jesus  for  saying  that  strangers  would 
enter  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  and  Jews  be  left  out.  They 
believed  that  none  but  Jews  would  have  any  part  in  their 
great  Kingdom,  and  that  there  would  be  a  splendid  feast 
when  it  was  established,  to  which  Jews  only  would  sit  down. 
And  the  Teachers  and  many  of  the  people  were  more  than 
ever  set  against  Jesus  for  telling  them  the  truth,  that  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven  is  free  to  all  who  know  and  obey  God. 

Remember,  then,  it  is  not  whether  a  man  is  black  or  white, 
rich  or  poor,  that  is  the  test  of  Heaven — for  all  are  equal 
before  God — but  whether  thou  art  good  or  bad. 

THE   WIDOW'S   SON. 

NAIN,    SUMMER,   A.D.    32. 

Leaving  Capernaum,  Jesus  started  with  His  disciples  to 
walk  to  the  village  of  Nain,  which  was  twenty-five  miles  away. 
As  usual,  they  left  early  in  the  morning,  before  the  Summer 
sun  was  hot,  following  the  path  by  the  shore,  and  fording 
the  little  streams  that  flowed  from  the  springs  in  the  plain  of 


A    FUNERAL. 


113 


Gennesaret,  then,  leaving  the  Lake,  they  cHmbed  up  into  the 
hills  by  the  side  of  a  deep  and  rocky  watercourse  among  thick 
trees,  to  gain  the  hot  open  road  leading  them  round  the  foot 
of  the  beautiful  Mount  Tabor  that  rose  high  above  them, 
green  to  its  very  top  with  oak  and  terebinth,  with  here  and 
there  a  white  rock  jutting  out.  Perhaps  it  was  the  afternoon 
of  the  second  day  when  they  descended  into  the  fruitful  plain 
of  Endor,  where  the  reapers  had  begun  their  harvest  work,  and 
towards  evening  they  saw  the  white  houses  of  the  village  of 
Nain  on  the  side  of  a  hill.  It  had  walls  about  it,  and  a  gate, 
and  the  sun  was  setting  over  the  purple  Carmel  hills  as  Jesus 
and  the  people  who  had  come  with  Him  climbed  the  steep 
stony  road  that  led  up  to  the  village.  When  they  were  close 
to  the  gate,  they  met  a  funeral  procession  coming  slowly  out, 
carrying  some  one  to  be  buried  in  the  burying-ground  where 
the  rose  trees  grew  among  the  white  stones,  a  little  way  off  on 
the  hillside. 

First  came  two  men  blowing  doleful  flutes,  then  women  who 
tossed  their  arms  above  their  heads,  chanting  a  low  sad  tune  as 
they  mourned  and  touched  their  cymbals,  then  came  a  weeping 
woman  with  clothes  torn  in  her  grief,  the  mother  of  the  young 
man,  her  only  son,  who  was  being  carried  behind  her  on  a  bier 
of  basket-work  by  four  men,  and  after  them  followed  a  number 
of  sorrowing  friends.  It  was  the  custom  for  everybody, to  pay 
the  greatest  respect  to  a  funeral.  And  Jesus  was  told  that  the 
young  man  was  the  only  son  of  the  woman,  who  was  a  widow, 
and,  thinking  perhaps  of  His  own  mother.  He  was  very  sorry 
for  the  poor  lonely  woman  going  out  in  the  dusk  of  even- 
ing to  bury  her  dear  son.  Those  who  were  coming  up  the 
narrow  path  stood  on  one  side  to  let  the  funeral  pass,  but 
when  the  woman  came  to  where  Jesus  was,  He  said  to 
her — 

"  Weep  not !  "  And  going  over  to  the  bearers  of  the  body, 
He  laid  His  hand  on  the  bier  and  stopped  them,  and  the 
people  gathered  round  Him  as  the  men  lowered  their  burden 
to  the  ground.  Looking  into  the  young  man's  face,  Jesus 
said — 


114  JOHNS    MESSAGE. 

"  Young  man,  I  say  to  thee,  Rise  !  "  And  the  young  man 
opened  his  eyes,  and  sat  up,  and  began  to  ask  them  where 
he  was,  and  what  it  all  meant ;  and  speaking  gently  to  him, 
Jesus  gave  him  back  to  his  mother.  The  people  were  amazed, 
and  this  procession,  once  so  sad,  returned  rejoicing  through 
the  gate  with  the  young  man  walking  in  their  midst;  and 
they  praised  God,  and  said,  as  they  went  through  the 
village — 

"  God  hath  come  down  to  His  people.  A  great  prophet 
hath  come  amongst  us !  "  But  gladdest  of  all  was  the 
widow-mother,  as,  kissing  her  dear  son,  she  took  him  back 
to  her  quiet  home.  The  news  soon  spread  through  the 
country,  for  this  was  the  first  person  Jesus  had  made  alive 
again ;  but  neither  His  wonders  nor  His  kindness  had  any 
effect  upon  the  priests,  who  only  hated  and  feared  Him  the 
more. 

Remember,  then,  the  pity  of  Jesus  for  this  poor  weeping 
woman,  for  she  did  not  speak  to  Him,  perhaps  did  not  even 
see  Him  in  her  grief,  but  He  tenderly  felt  all  her  mother's 
love  and  sorrow. 

JOHN'S  MESSAGE. 

NEAR   NAIN,   SUMMER,  A.D.    32. 

John  had  now  been  about  a  year  in  prison.  He  had  re- 
proved King  Antipas  and  Herodias  his  queen,  for  wickedness, 
and  this  so  annoyed  the  queen  that  she  got  the  king,  who 
feared  John,  to  put  him  into  prison  in  Castle  Machaerus,  the 
Black  Castle,  near  the  deserted  Dead  Sea.  It  was  a  huge 
tower  upon  a  hill-top.  There  was  a  splendid  palace  and 
town  for  soldiers  built  lower  down,  but  beyond  that,  on  all 
sides,  with  ravines  of  black  bare  rocks,  and  deserts  of  sand, 
a  wild  place  of  banishment ;  but  by  leave  of  the  king,  John's 
disciples  -were  allowed  to  see  him.  Friends  coming  in  told 
him  what  Jesus  was  doing;  of  His  breaking  the  Sabbath 
rules,  drinking  wine,  and  eating  food  with  wicked  people, 
and  John's  disciples  argued  with  each  other  as  to  whether 


THE  POOR  HEAR  OF  HEAVEN.       I15 

He  were  the  Christ  or  no.  John  had  very  Httle  doubt ; 
but,  in  order  to  settle  the  minds  of  his  disciples,  he  sent 
off  two  of  them  to  see  Jesus  for  themselves,  and  ask  the 
question,  "  Art  Thou  the  Christ  that  should  come,  or  shall 
we  look  for  another?"  It  took  them  about  three  days  to 
go  from  Machaerus,  across  the  Jordan,  and  up  the  hills  to 
the  neighbourhood  of  Nain,  and  there  they  found  Jesus, 
with  a  number  of  people  round  Him,  healing  the  sick  and 
teaching,  and  they  stood  and  watched,  and  then  going  for- 
ward, said — 

"  We  are  John's  disciples,  and  he  hath  sent  us  to  ask 
Thee  whether  Thou  art  the  Christ  who  should  come,  or 
shall  we  look  for  another?"  After  what  they  had  seen,  this 
was  a  foolish  question,  and  Jesus  sent  them  away  quickly, 
saying — 

"  Go  back  and  tell  John  what  you  have  seen  and  heard : 
the  blind  are  made  to  see,  the  lame  to  walk,  the  deaf  to  hear, 
the  dead  are  raised,  while  the  poor  are  told  about  Heaven." 
Adding,  as  a  caution  to  themselves,  "  Blessed  are  they  who 
find  no  offence  in  Me."  The  men  left  at  once  with  their 
message,  talking  over  all  they  had  seen  and  heard  as  they 
went  back  to  John,  for  they  no  longer  doubted  that  Jesus 
was  the  Christ.  Now  Jesus  had  not  praised  John  whilst 
the  men  were  present,  nor  said  He  was  sorry  for  his  im- 
prisonment, but  when  they  were  gone.  He  gave  John  the 
highest  praise  to  the  people  that  a  man  has  ever  got ;  and 
many  of  the  people  who  stood  round  remembered  John  in 
his  camel  hair  dress  as  he  taught  in  wild  places,  and  by  the 
deep  Jordan. 

"What  did  you  go  out  into  the  wilderness  to  see?"  Jesus 
exclaimed.  "  A  feeble  reed  shaken  with  the  wind  ?  A  man 
clothed  in  soft  clothing?  They  who  dress  finely  and  live 
delicately,  are  in  kings'  palaces.  Did  you  go  to  see  a 
prophet?  Yes,  and  much  more  than  a  prophet,  for  there 
is  no  greater  man  than  John  the  Baptist."  There  were 
some  in  that  crowd  who  rejoiced,  for  they  had  always  liked 
John,  but  there  were  others,  Pharisees  and  Teachers  of  the 


Il6  COME    UNTO    ME. 

Law,  who  had  been  against  him  as  they  were  against  Jesus 
now,  and  seeing  them  standing  gloomy  and  silent,  Jesus  said 
to  them — 

"  I  have  seen  little  children  playing  at  funerals  and  mar- 
riages in  a  sunny  market-place,  some  of  whom  were  gloomy 
and  would  play  at  nothing,  while  the  others  called  to  them, 
and  said,  '  We  have  played  music  to  you  and  you  will  not 
dance,  we  have  sung  mournfully  to  you  and  you  will  not  weep.' 
Now,  you  men  are  hke  these  children ;  for  John  came  neither 
eating  nor  drinking,  and  you  called  him  mad ;  now  I  have 
come,  eating  and  drinking,  and  you  call  Me  glutton,  wine- 
drinker,  friend  of  tax-gatherers  and  wicked  people."  Thus  He 
showed  that  nothing  would  please  these  men,  for  they  did  not 
wish  to  be  pleased  ;  and  as  He  thought  of  the  learned  Teachers 
who  would  not  believe  anything  He  told  them,  and  of  the 
ignorant  country  people  who  listened  gladly  to  every  word, 
He  exclaimed,  in  thankful  prayer,  as  He  looked  up — 

"  I  thank  Thee,  O  !  My  Father,  Lord  of  Heaven  and  Earth, 
that  Thou  hast  hid  the  things  of  Heaven  from  wise  and 
learned  men,  and  hast  made  them  known  to  simple  people ; 
for  so  it  seemeth  right  to  Thee."  Turning  again  to  the  people 
who  were  earnestly  watching  everything  He  did.  He  exclaimed 
in  a  passionate,  yearning  appeal,  full  of  tenderest  beauty — 

"All  things  have  been  given  to  Me  by  My  Father  in 
Heaven.  Come  unto  Me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.  Take  My  commands  upon  you 
and  learn  of  Me,for  I  ain  meek  a7td  lowly  i?i  heart,  and  you 
shall  find ji^est  for  your  souls,  for  My  commands  are  easy  and 
My  burden  is  light.^^  Thus  He  pled  with  them  to  come  into 
His  Kingdom  of  Heaven  in  the  world.  How  different  from 
their  other  Teachers  !  whose  rules,  customs,  and  laws  were  more 
than  the  people  could  bear  or  ever  obey.  They  had  never 
asked  the  people  to  come  to  them  and  find  rest  as  Jesus  now 
pleaded  with  them  to  come  to  Him.  They  pointed  only  to 
cold,  hard  laws,  He  pointed  to  His  living  Self,  and  many  hearts 
turned  to  the  young  Carpenter  of  Nazareth,  as  the  people  went 
away  to  their  homes  that  Summer  day. 


MARY    MAGDALENE.  II7 

Remember,  then,  that  love  is  the  burden  which  Jesus  asks 
thee  to  bear,  love  which  makes  all  commands  light,  the  love 
which  makes  thee  glad  to  do  what  thy  mother  and  father 
tell  thee,  that  is  the  kind  of  love  which  thou  art  to  have  for 
Jesus. 

MARY  MAGDALENE. 

NEAR   NAIN,    SUMMER,   A.D,    32. 

A  wealthy  Pharisee  called  Simon,  who  was  interested  in 
what  Jesus  had  said,  invited  Him  to  dine  at  his  house.  He 
wished  to  hear  more,  and  felt  bound  to  extend  common 
hospitality  to  this  young  Teacher,  and  Jesus  went  with  him. 
Simon's  house  was  large,  built  with  an  open  courtyard  in  the 
middle,  into  which  any  person  could  come,  with  flowers  grow- 
ing there  to  make  it  bright,  and  trees  to  shade  it,  while  broad- 
leafed  vines  and  other  creeping  plants  climbed  up  to  the  flat 
roof  and  round  the  small  windows  that  looked  out  into  the  court. 
It  was  the  custom  always  to  take  off  their  shoes  before  entering 
a  house,  for  the  floors  of  rich  men's  houses  were  covered  with 
bright  soft  mats,  and  the  people  lay  with  their  feet  upon  the 
couches.  At  the  house  door  a  servant  usually  took  ofl"  the 
stranger's  sandals,  and  washed  his  feet,  and  dressed  his  hair, 
and  when  he  came  into  the  room  the  master  of  the  house  gave 
him  a  kiss  of  welcome,  saying,  "The  Lord  bless  thee."  But 
when  Jesus — hot,  tired,  dusty — entered  Simon's  house.  He  re- 
ceived none  of  these  attentions  from  the  servants,  nor  was  he 
even  welcomed  by  Simon  as  He  went  into  the  fine  dining-room, 
with  its  soft  silk  pillows,  scented  woods,  gilded  walls,  and  rare 
curtains  and  flowers.  He  had  been  asked  in  out  of  curiosity, 
not  friendship.  The  guests  were  on  couches  round  small  low 
tables,  some  sitting,  some  lying,  and  through  the  open  win- 
dows people  looked  into  the  shaded  room  from  the  white, 
sunny  court  outside,  and  there  was  a  constant  going  out  and 
in  of  servants  and  friends  by  the  wide-open  door. 

When  the  dinner  had  gone  on  for  some  time,  from  his  table 
at  the  head  of  the  room,  Simon  observed  a  beautiful  young 


Il8  AN    ALABASTER    FLASK. 

woman  whom  he  knew,  come  in  by  the  door  and  with  a  glance 
at  the  guests,  go  quietly  round,  till  she  stood  at  the  feet  of 
Jesus ;  and  he  wondered  what  she  meant  by  coming  into  his 
house.  But  she  had  heard  Jesus  say,  "  Come  unto  Me,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest;  "  she  was  sorry  for  her  wickedness,  and  wishing  to 
show  her  gratitude  and  love  to  Jesus,  she  had  bought  a  beautiful 
and  costly  alabaster  flask  of  spikenard  perfume  to  give  Him. 
Now  alabaster  is  a  fine  kind  of  stone,  white,  sparkUng  like  snow, 
streaked  with  clear  lines,  and  so  brittle  that  thou  couldst  break 
it  in  thy  hand.  She  had  this  precious  Httle  flask  hidden  in 
her  breast,  and  as  she  stood  near  Jesus  the  recollections  of 
her  life  came  over  her,  her  love  went  out  to  the  One  who  had 
turned  her  back,  and  her  hot  tears  dropped  silently  upon  His 
bare  feet.  Then,  kneeling,  she  clasped  His  travel-stained  feet 
in  her  hands,  kissing  them  again  and  again,  and  wiping  them 
with  her  long  dark  hair  that  fell  over  them  as  she  bent  down. 
Grateful  that  He  did  not  send  her  away,  with  a  sudden 
impulse  she  took  from  her  breast  the  little  flask  of  perfume 
which  she  had  intended  for  His  head,  and  breaking  the  alabaster 
between  her  hands,  she  poured  the  precious  oil  upon  His  feet, 
as  with  disordered  tresses  and  tear-stained  face,  she  sank 
sobbing  on  the  floor.  She  knew  she  had  no  right  to  be 
in  that  room,  unveiling  her  beauty  before  men,  but  regardless 
of  what  people  might  say,  she  had  poured  out  her  love 
before  Jesus,  and  with  dark  eyes  bent  down  she  waited  His 
rebuke  or  praise.  The  strong  sweet  smell,  drew  the  attention 
of  everyone  in  the  room  to  what  Mary  had  done,  but,  as  is 
common  in  that  country,  no  one  took  any  notice  of  her,  and 
Jesus  reluained  silent.  Simon  was  indignant ;  for  he  con- 
sidered Mary  of  Magdala  too  low  a  person  for  him  even 
to  speak  to,  and  thought  that  Jesus  was  a  very  strange 
Teacher  indeed,  to  allow  a  woman  to  touch  Him ;  but  it  was 
not  his  place  to  interfere  between  Jesus  and  the  beautiful 
woman  who  seemed  to  love  Him,  and  he  said  nothing. 

"  If  this  young  Teacher  were  really  from  God,"  he  thought 
to  himself,  "  He  would  know  that  this  is  a  wicked  woman  who 
toucheth  Him."     If  Simon  had  met  Mary  in  the  street,  he 


SHE    LOVETH    MUCH.  II9 

would  have  crossed  to  the  other  side,  for  Pharisees  considered 
themselves  too  good  to  speak  to  a  woman  in  the  street.  Jesus 
knew  what  was  passing  in  Simon's  mind,  and,  after  a  little, 
looking  towards  him,  He  said — 

"  Simon,  I  have  something  to  say  to  thee." 

"  Speak  on.  Teacher,"  was  Simon's  grave  reply. 

"  A  man  once  lent  money  to  two  persons,"  Jesus  said,  "  five 
hundred  pence  to  one,  and  fifty  pence  to  the  other,  and  when 
they  could  not  pay  him  back,  he  forgave  them  both.  Tell  me, 
Simon,  which  of  these  men  will  love  him  most?  " 

"  I  suppose  the  one  to  whom  he  forgave  the  most,"  he 
replied. 

"  Thou  hast  answered  rightly,"  and  continuing  in  a  voice 
which  surprised  the  Pharisee,  Jesus  said — 

"  Seest  thou  this  woman,  Simon?  "  pointing  as  He  spoke  to 
Mary,  who  now  looked  up  at  Jesus  with  her  earnest  beautiful 
face.  "  When  I  came  into  thy  house,  thou  gavest  Me  no 
water  for  My  feet,  but  she  hath  washed  them  with  her  tears. 
Thou  gavest  Me  no  kiss,  but  she  hath  not  ceased  to  kiss  My 
feet.  Thou  didst  not  put  oil  on  My  head,  but  she  hath 
poured  perfume  on  My  feet.  He  loveth  little  who  is  forgiven 
little,  but  she  loveth  much,  and  her  wickedness,  which  is  great, 
shall  be  forgiven."  Then,  turning  from  Simon  to  Mary,  whose 
face  was  radiant  with  joy,  He  continued — 

"  Woman,  thy  sins  are  forgiven."  Simon  was  amazed  !  He 
had  had  his  house  filled  with  people  to  meet  Jesus,  and 
through  the  midst  of  them  had  passed  this  woman ;  and  now, 
caught  with  a  little  story  by  this  young  Countryman,  in  words 
the  wisdom  of  which  he  could  not  dispute,  he  had  been 
severely  rebuked  at  his  own  table  !  Mary  was  also  astonished. 
She  had  come  to  make  a  humble  offering,  not  expecting 
to  hear  her  simple  act  held  up  as  an  example  to  Simon  the 
rich  Pharisee,  nor  to  be  told,  with  a  look  from  Jesus  which  she 
would  never  forget,  that  all  the  faults  of  her  past  life  were 
forgiven  !  Some  of  the  people  who  were  at  the  table  now 
began  to  whisper  to  each  other,  saying,  "  Who  is  this  that  can 
even  forgive  sins?  "     But  Jesus  paid  no  heed  to  their  whisper- 


I20  FALSE    PHARISEES. 

ings,  but  waiting  till  the  dinner  was  over,  He  rose,  and  as  He 
went  out  He  sent  Mary  away  with  these  beautiful  words — 

"Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee:  go  in  peace."  And  Mary 
followed  Jesus  out  into  the  sunshine  a  new  creature,  but  not 
to  go  back  to  her  old  life,  for  she  followed  Him,  along  with 
other  women,  till  His  death,  and  was  the  first  to  see  Him  when 
He  rose  again.  And  we  know  her  now  by  the  ever  beautiful 
name  of  Mary  Magdalene. 

Remember  then  how  she  pressed  in  to  the  very  feet  of  Jesus, 
and  that  thou,  too,  mayest  at  any  time  lay  thy  faults  and  thy 
sorrows  before  Him,  and  hear  His  voice  saying  to  thee,  "  Go 
in  peace  ! " 

'Tis  His,  the  gentle  voice  we  hear, 

Soft  as  the  breath  of  even, 
That  checks  each  fault,  that  calms  each  fear, 

And  speaks  of  Heaven. 

FALSE    PHARISEES. 

GALILEE,    SUMMER,   A.D.    32. 

From  the  neighbourhood  of  the  village  of  Nain,  Jesus  went 
on  His  second  journey  through  the  numerous  towns  and  vil- 
lages of  Galilee  that  were  scattered  over  the  hills,  valleys,  and 
plains  extending  from  the  Carmel  hills  to  the  mountains  of 
Lebanon.  Everywhere  He  went,  He  saw  the  country  people 
in  the  fields  cutting  down  the  ripe  grain.  His  twelve 
disciples  and  a  number  of  friends  went  with  Him,  among 
whom  were  some  women,  who  had  joined  them,  including 
Johanna^' ^n  officer's  wife  ;  Susanna,  the  mother  of  two  of  His 
disciples ;  Salome,  the  mother  of  two  more ;  the  beautiful 
Mary  Magdalene,  and  others.  It  was  now  midsummer,  with 
Kot  dusty  roads,  the  grass  on  the  hillsides  was  scorched  brown 
with  the  sun,  and  there  was  no  water  in  the  brooks,  yet  He 
went  on  foot,  teaching  now  in  a  church,  now  under  the  shade 
of  a  spreading  green  tree,  and  it  took  Him  some  weeks  to 
finish  the  journey. 

At  one  place  He  healed  a  blind  and  dumb  maniac,  and  the 


SHOW    US    A    SIGN.  121 

people  were  astonished  when  they  saw  that  the  poor  man  could 
see  and  speak,  and  they  wondered  if  He  were  not  indeed 
the  Christ.  But  when  the  Pharisees  of  the  place  saw  His 
power,  they  made  up  a  wicked  falsehood  to  deceive  the 
people,  telling  them  solemnly  as  their  old  Teachers,  that  Jesus 
had  the  spirit  of  evil  in  Him,  which  gave  Him  power  to  heal 
maniacs ;  and  as  the  people  believed  in  witchcraft  and  such 
foolish  things,  they  also  believed  this  wicked  thing  which  their 
Teachers  said.  Now,  nothing  gave  Jesus  greater  pain  than  this 
accusation  of  evil.  To  be  told  that  His  power  was  the  power 
of  wickedness  and  not  goodness,  vexed  and  excited  Him 
much ;  and  the  people  also  came  in  such  numbers  to  see  and 
hear  Him,  and  He  had  to  work  so  constantly,  that  He  had  not 
time  to  take  proper  food  and  rest,  and  it  began  to  injure  His 
health.  Even  some  of  His  own  friends  said  that  He  was  going 
out  of  His  mind  with  excitement,  and  wished  for  His  own 
sake,  to  take  Him  away  by  force  from  among  the  people  to  a 
quiet  place  to  rest ;  and  they  watched  Him  from  day  to 
day,  and  sent  word  to  His  mother  in  Nazareth  of  His  danger. 

Hearing  of  this  new  stir  in  Galilee,  the  priests  in  Jerusalem 
sent  some  of  their  number  to  make  inquiries  and  watch  Jesus, 
and  to  tell  the  people  that  He  was  a  cheat  and  not  a  true 
Teacher.  When  they  came,  they  also  repeated  the  same  wicked 
falsehood,  saying  that  He  was  helped  by  the  spirit  of  evil,  which 
gave  Him  power  to  heal  maniacs,  and  coming  to  Him,  they 
called  upon  Him  to  do  something  wonderful  before  them, 
knowing  that  He  would  refuse,  as  He  had  done  before. 

*' Show  us  a  sign,"  they  said,  "that  Thou  art  from  God." 
For  a  time  He  paid  no  attention  to  them,  then  He  determined 
to  expose  their  wicked  falsehood,  and  caUing  upon  the  people 
and  the  Pharisees  to  listen.  He  said — 

"  These  Pharisees  tell  you  that  I  have  the  spirit  of  evil  in 
Me,  by  which  I  heal  maniacs.  But  why  should  wickedness 
put  out  wickedness?  If  that  were  true,  wickedness  would 
soon  come  to  an  end.  Now,  some  of  your  own  good  men  heal 
maniacs  also.  If  I  heal  them  by  the  power  of  evil,  by  what 
power  do  they  heal  them  ?    Judge  Me  by  them.     But  if  I,  by 


122  CHILDREN    OF    VIPERS. 

the  Spirit  of  God,  heal  them,  then  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  is 
come  near  you.  No  one  can  go  into  a  strong  man's  house 
and  take  his  things,  unless  he  first  overcome  the  strong  man. 
I  have  overcome  the  spirit  of  evil.  Whoever  is  not  on  My 
side  is  against  Me ^  Then,  turning  upon  the  Pharisees  who 
had  uttered  the  wicked  falsehood,  He  continued — 

"  You  shall  be  forgiven  every  kind  of  wickedness,  except 
blasphemy  against  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God.  Whoever  speaketh 
against  Me  shall  be  forgiven,  but  whoever  speaketh  against  the 
Holy  Spirit  of  God  shall  not  be  forgiven.  A  man  is  either 
good  or  bad,  and  a  good  man  is  known  by  what  he  does.  But 
you  Pharisees  !  ye  children  of  vipers  !  how  can  you  who  are 
wicked,  say  good  things,  for  the  tongue  speaketh  what  is  in  the 
heart.  But  I  tell  you  that  for  every  idle  word  that  you  speak, 
you  shall  give  an  account ;  and  by  your  words  shall  you  be 
judged."  This  was  a  burning  rebuke  to  those  mean  Pharisees 
who  had  tried  to  besmirch  His  purity  with  their  false  tongues, 
seeking  to  get  the  superstitious  people  to  beUeve  on  their  high 
authority  that  He  was  only  a  wicked  juggler,  a  dealer  in  black 
arts,  and  in  league  with  wickedness  itself,  that  they  might 
turn  the  people  away  from  Him.  Was  there  ever  a  fouler  lie 
than  to  say  that  the  pure  soul  of  Jesus  was  filled  with  an  evil 
spirit?  He  had  answered  His  accusers  with  such  force  that  a 
woman  in  the  crowd  exclaimed  in  her  joy — 

"  Blessed  is  the  woman  that  is  Thy  mother,  and  the  breasts 
which  nursed  Thee  !  " 

"  Nay,"  Jesus  answered  gently,  "say  rather,  Blessed  are  the 
people  wb^^  hear  My  words  and  obey  them."  Then  one  of  the 
Lawyers  and  Pharisees  in  the  crowd  again  called  sneeringly 
to  Him — 

"  Teacher  !  we  wish  to  see  a  sign  from  Thee,  that  Thou  art 
from  God  ?  "  But  looking  at  the  calm  hard  faces  of  these 
spies  from  Jerusalem,  He  replied — 

"  This'  is  a  wicked  age.  You  ask  a  sign,  but  no  sign  shall 
be  given  you  but  the  sign  of  Jonah  of  old.  As  Jonah  was 
three  days  and  three  nights  in  the  whale,  so  shall  I  be  three 
days  and  three  nights  in  the  grave.     As  Jonah  was  a  sign  to 


HIS    MOTHER    COMES.  1 23 

the  wicked  city  of  Nineveh  to  repent  of  its  wickedness,  so 
am  I  a  sign  to  you.  The  men  of  Nineveh  shall  condemn 
you,  for  they  were  sorry  when  they  heard  the  preaching  of 
Jonah,  and  I  am  greater  than  he.  The  queen  of  the  South 
shall  condemn  you,  for  she  came  from  Arabia  to  hear  the 
wisdom  of  King  Solomon,  and  a  greater  than  Solomon  is 
here." 

In  the  meantime  His  mother  and  brothers  had  come  from 
Nazareth.  They  had  heard  that  He  was  in  danger  of  hurting 
Himself  with  work,  and  they  had  come  to  take  Him  away  with 
them,  but  they  could  not  get  near  Him  for  the  crowd  of  peo- 
ple who  were  standing  closely  packed  together,  and  they  waited 
outside,  a  middle-aged  woman,  with  a  sweet  gentle  face  and 
brown  hair  touched  with  grey,  and  her  tall  sons ;  for  Mary 
knew  that  the  people  would  not  think  of  the  health  of  Jesus. 
Word  was  passed  through  the  crowd  that  they  had  come,  and 
some  one,  interrupting  Jesus,  called  out — 

"  Thy  mother  and  brothers  stand  outside,  wishing  to  speak 
with  Thee." 

"Who  is  My  mother?  Who  are  My  brothers?"  He  re- 
plied ;  and  pointing  to  His  group  of  disciples,  "  See  My 
mother  and  My  brothers,  for  whoever  doeth  the  will  of  My 
Father  in  Heaven,  he  is  My  brother,  sister,  mother."  And 
He  ceased  speaking  for  that  day.  He  meant  that  the  work  of 
His  Father  in  Heaven  had  greater  claims  upon  Him  than  even 
His  mother.  But  when  the  crowd  broke  up  she  found  Him, 
and  tried  to  persuade  Him  to  come  away  with  her  from  the 
heat  and  fever  of  these  constant  crowds,  to  the  quiet  hills  of 
Nazareth  and  her  little  vine-clad  cottage,  there  to  rest  and 
grow  strong  again,  though  she  soon  saw  that  there  was  no  truth 
in  what  she  had  been  told,  that  His  mind  had  been  affected 
with  the  excitement.  Jesus  did  not  go  with  her,  however;  but 
she  remained  with  Him  for  a  time. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  never  to  mention  the  names  of 
God,  Jesus,  or  the  Holy  Spirit,  excepting  with  great  reverence 
and  at  suitable  times.  Some  things  in  life  must  be  kept 
sacred  and  apart,  and  these  are  chief  among  them. 


124  THE    KEY    OF    KNOWLEDGE. 

THE    KEY   OF   KNOWLEDGE. 

GALILEAN   VILLAGE,   AUTUMN,   A.D.    32. 

As  He  taught  in  the  open  air  one  morning,  under  a  green 
tree  near  one  of  the  GaUlean  villages,  the  Autumn  heat  grew 
more  and  more  intense,  until  it  came  to  midday,  the  hottest 
time  of  the  day,  when,  in  that  country,  all  work  is  stopped  on 
account  of  the  heat,  and  people  go  into  their  houses  to  take  a 
light  meal  of  fruit  and  bread,  which  is  called  dinner,  and  to 
rest  till  the  great  heat  is  over.  When  He  ceased  teaching,  a 
Pharisee  asked  Him  to  dine  at  his  house,  but  did  not  ask 
His  disciples,  asking  instead,  a  number  of  his  own  friends, 
Pharisees  and  Lawyers,  who  were  called  Scribes. 

The  house  windows  were  shaded,  and  small  tables  were 
spread  with  grapes,  figs,  pomegranates,  and  other  fruits,  bread, 
wine,  and  water,  with  couches  round  them  for  the  guests ;  and 
as  they  went  in,  a  servant  offered  them  water  in  a  red  clay  jar, 
with  a  basin  and  a  towel,  and  the  Pharisees'  friends  all  washed 
their  hands  with  much  show  and  in  a  particular  way,  before 
going  in  to  take  food.  Jesus  watched  them,  but  declined  the 
water,  and  went  in  to  the  dinner  intentionally  without  washing 
His  hands,  and  when  the  guests  saw  Him  taking  the  fruit  and 
bread,  they  all  pretended  to  be  very  much  shocked,  for  it  was 
one  of  the  little  rules  of  the  Pharisees  that  no  one  should 
touch  food  until  he  had  washed  his  hands,  and  they  said  they 
would  rather  starve  than  break  that  rule.  And  the  Pharisee 
who  had  invited  Jesus  looked  round  upon  his  friends,  as  much 
as  to  say,  "  I  am  very  much  shocked  to  see  the  conduct  of 
this  young  man  !  "  and  they  whispered  together,  and  looked  at 
Jesus,  and  nodded  to  each  other.  Now,  Jesus  was  angry  and 
indignant,  for  He  knew  that  many  of  them  were  false  men, 
who  did  wicked  things  in  private,  though  they  made  much 
show  of  being  good. 

"  You  Pharisees ! "  He  exclaimed,  when  He  saw  their 
sneering  looks,  "  you  clean  the  outside  of  the  cup  and  plate, 
but  inside  you  are  full  of  wickedness.     You  fools  !  for  did  not 


FALSE    RELIGIOUS    TEACHERS.  I  25 

God  make  both  the  outside  and  the  inside.  Woe  to  you  !  for 
you  are  very  careful  about  paying  taxes  on  mint  and  rue,  and 
such  like  small  garden  herbs,  as  a  matter  of  religion,  but  you 
forget  all  about  judgment,  and  the  love  of  God.  Woe  to  you  ! 
for  you  like  the  best  seats  in  churches,  and  to  be  bowed  to  in 
the  markets.  But  you  are  like  hidden  graves,  on  which  the 
grass  grows  green,  and  over  which  men  walk,  and  do  not 
know  that  they  are  on  graves."  Thus  He  told  them  that 
beneath  all  their  long  robes,  solemn  faces,  hand-washings,  and 
fine  words,  they  were  cruel  and  wicked  men.  But  a  Lawyer, 
thinking  he  would  help  his  friends,  exclaimed — 

"Teacher,  in  speaking  thus.  Thou  speakest  against  the 
Lawyers  also."  He  had  some  idea  that  the  Lawyers,  or 
Scribes,  as  they  were  called,  who  kept  the  religious  books  and 
who  were  the  learned  doctors  of  the  Law  and  Teachers  of  the 
people,  were  better  than  the  Pharisees,  but  in  reply  to  him, 
Jesus  answered — 

"  Woe  !  to  you  Lawyers  also,  for  you  load  the  people  with 
heavy  burdens,  and  you  yourself  do  not  touch  these  burdens 
with  your  Httle  finger" — meaning  that  they  made  countless 
rules  for  the  people,  but  did  not  keep  them  themselves ;  and 
after  telhng  them  that  they  had  in  bygone  years  killed  and 
punished  good  men,  He  ended  with  these  stinging  words, 
"  Woe  !  to  you  Lawyers,  for  you  have  taken  away  the  key  of 
knowledge,  and  go  not  in,  and  they  that  would  go  in,  you 
hinder" — meaning  that  they  kept  the  tnith  from  the  people, 
and  taught  them  wrongly,  neither  showing  them  the  way  to 
have  Heaven,  nor  walking  in  it  themselves. 

This  outburst  of  Jesus  caused  great  confusion  among  the 
Pharisee's  friends.  They  had  brought  Him  away  from  His 
disciples  and  followers,  to  watch  Him  by  themselves,  but 
instead  of  being  overawed  or  afraid  of  them.  He  had  de- 
nounced the  Pharisees  as  hypocrites  and  the  Lawyers  as  false 
Teachers,  in  the  strongest  language  He  had  yet  used  against 
them.  They  contradicted  Him  hotly,  saying  that  He  had 
insulted  them,  and  tried  in  loud  voices  to  dispute  and  wrangle 
with  Him,  but  He  rose  from  the  table  to  leave  the  house. 


126  TREASURES    IN    HEAVEN. 

Seeing  this,  the  Pharisees  and  Lawyers  rose  also  and  pressed 
vehemently  upon  Him,  and  when  His  friends  saw  Him 
coming  out  of  the  Pharisee's  house,  He  was  followed  by  a 
number  of  angry  men  who  threatened  Him,  trying  to  provoke 
Him  to  reply  hastily,  but  while  their  faces  were  distorted  with 
anger,  His  was  calm  and  firm  as  He  walked  towards  His  dis- 
ciples, who  with  their  friends  were  waiting  for  Him  outside. 
But  the  Pharisees  followed  Him  along  the  road,  till  He 
reached  His  disciples,  still  shouting  questions  and  demanding 
answers,  and  the  people  gathered  round  Him,  attracted  by 
the  noise  of  angry  voices ;  but  He  walked  on  in  silence 
towards  a  convenient  place,  where  He  could  speak  to  the 
crowd. 

Do  thou  remember  that  everything  which  is  done  as  an 
outward  sign  of  goodness  like  the  ceremony  of  washing  of 
hands,  may  be  done  by  wicked  men,  and  cannot  therefore  be 
any  proof  of  real  goodness. 

TREASURES   IN   HEAVEN. 

GALILEAN  VILLAGE,  AUTUMN,  A.D.   32. 

Hitherto  some  of  the  Pharisees  had  been  curious  about  the 
teaching  of  Jesus,  and  not  unfriendly  towards  Him  ;  but  now 
He  had  shown  how  impossible  it  was  for  Him  to  have  any- 
thing to  do  with  these  Teachers  and  leaders  of  the  people  by 
openly  denouncing  them  in  stinging  words  as  false  guides. 
Henceforth  they  were  to  be  His  constant  and  bitter  enemies. 
Noticeably  by  His  white  tunic,  as  He  sat  in  the  shadow  on 
that  sunny  afternoon  in  the  midst  of  the  crowd  that  had 
gathered  round  Him,  Jesus  began  to  speak  of  what  had  hap- 
pened when  He  was  alone  in  the  Pharisee's  house.  His 
enemies  hoped  He  would  answer  their  taunts  and  gibes,  but 
He  passed  them  by,  and  speaking  to  His  disciples,  who  had 
seen  their  rage,  He  said — 

"  Beware  of  the  influence  of  the  Pharisees,  which  is  hypo- 
crisy, for  there  is  nothing  hid  that  shall  not  be  seen.  What 
hath  been  said  in  darkness  shall  be  told  in  the  light,  and  what 


SUCCESS    IN    LIFE. 


127 


you  have  whispered  into  the  ear  in  the  inner  room  shall  be 
told  upon  the  house-top.  My  friends,  do  not  be  afraid  of  those 
who  can  kill  you,  and  after  that,  have  nothing  more  which 
they  can  do?  but  I  will  warn  you  whom  to  fear,  fear  God." 
And  again  He  told  the  people  never  to  speak  against  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God ;  adding  that  when  they  were  in  any  difficulty 
His  Holy  Spirit  would  guide  them  ;  and  many  good  men  have 
found  the  truth  of  His  words. 

But  a  young  man  in  the  crowd,  whose  father  had  died  leav- 
ing some  property,  came  forward  and  put  a  question  to  Jesus, 
— a  common  thing  for  the  people  to  do  with  their  Teachers. 
He  had  quarrelled  with  his  brother  about  the  division  of  the 
property,  and  he  hoped  to  get  Jesus  on  his  side  against  his 
brother. 

"  Tell  my  brother,"  he  said,  "  to  divide  with  me  what  my 
father  hath  left."  Now,  Jesus  always  refused  to  take  up  peo- 
ple's quarrels,  and  He  saw  that  the  man  was  greedy. 

"  Man,"  he  replied  sternly,  "  who  hath  made  me  a  judge  or 
a  divider  among  you?  "  The  man,  thus  rebuked,  sHpped  back 
into  the  crowd,  but  all  had  seen  his  mean  nature,  interrupting 
the  teaching  of  Jesus  with  his  own  personal  money-quarrel ; 
and  Jesus  proceeded  to  warn  the  people  against  the  foolish 
meanness  of  envying  their  neighbours'  things. 

"  Beware,"  He  said,  "  of  wishing  to  have  the  things  which 
belong  to  some  one  else,  /or  success  in  life  doth  not  consist  i?t 
the  nu7nber  of  things  which  a  man  hath^  And  to  show  more 
plainly  how  foolish  it  is  to  spend  one's  life  in  gathering  wealth, 
He  told  them  a  story  with  a  meaning,  about  a  rich  man  who 
did  so,  a  story  which  in  these  times  of  dishonesty  in  business, 
should  be  more  thought  of;  and  this  is  the  story  : — 

The  fields,  vineyards,  and  gardens  of  a  rich  man  had  much 
fruit,  and  he  said  to  himself,  "  What  shall  I  do,  for  I  have  not 
large  enough  stores  for  all  my  fruits.  I  will  do  this  :  I  will 
take  down  my  barns  and  build  larger  ones,  and  will  store  in 
them  all  my  corn  and  my  goods  ;  and  will  say  to  myself.  Thou 
hast  plenty  of  goods  stored  up  for  many  years,  take  thine  ease, 
eat,  drink,  and  be  merry."     Now,  my  child,  thou  must  not 


128  WISE    AND    FOOLISH    SERVANTS. 

think  that  this  was  a  good  man,  for  goodness  does  not  consist 
in  providing  for  our  own  happiness  alone,  but  we  should  think 
of  the  happiness  of  others ;  while  the  rich  man  only  heaped 
up  comforts  for  himself.     But  Jesus  continued — 

"  And  God  said.  Thou  foolish  man,  this  night  thou  shalt 
die,  and  whose  then  shall  these  things  be,  which  thou  hast 
stored  up  for  thyself? "  The  morning  came,  and  the  rich 
man  was  no  more  seen  among  his  barns  and  fields,  and  stran- 
gers came  and  divided  among  them  the  riches  which  he  would 
not  share  with  them  while  he  lived. 

"  It  is  the  same,"  said  Jesus,  "  with  those  who  gather  to- 
gether wealth  for  themselves,  and  do  not  think  about  God." 
And  the  people  who  listened  understood  Him  well,  for  in 
many  places  the  harvest  had  been  carried  away  to  the  barns, 
and  the  purple  grapes  and  ripe  fruits  were  being  plucked  and 
shaken  down.  They  liked  Him  to  teach  them  in  such  stories, 
and  after  this  He  taught  them  more  by  short  stories  than  in 
any  other  way. 

When  thou  art  older  and  engaged  in  business,  thou  wilt  be 
apt  to  think  that  the  main  thing  in  life  is  to  gather  money,  but 
thou  wilt  find  that  thy  happiness  depends  more  on  goodness 
and  contentment  than  on  money.  Remember,  then,  to  wait 
upon  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  and  let  not  thy  aim  in  life  be  to 
gather  much  wealth,  but  rather  by  kind,  generous,  and  good 
deeds,  to  lay  up  what  Jesus  loved  to  call,  Treasures  in  Heaven. 


^JWISE    AND    FOOLISH    SERVANTS. 

GALILEAN   VILLAGE,   AUTUMN,   A.D.    32. 

Sitting  outside  the  Galilean  village,  on  that  hot  Autumn 
day,  in  the  shade  of  one  of  these  evergreen  oak  trees  whose 
low  spreading  branches  cover  a  wide  circle  of  ground,  Jesus 
told  the  'people  some  more  short  stories,  to  which  they 
listened  with  great  interest.  The  principal  one  was  about 
Servants,  and  as  there  were  many  men  from  the  fields,  farms, 
gardens,  and  sheepfolds  there,  with  their  bright  kerchiefs  of 


FEW,    AND    MANY    STROKES.  1 29 

different  colours  shading  their  dark  earnest  faces,  they  under- 
stood Him  easily  when  He  said — 

"  Be  Hke  good  servants,  who  with  their  tunics  fastened 
up  and  lamps  lighted,  are  ready  waiting  in  the  night-time 
for  their  master,  who  is  out  at  a  marriage  supper,  so  that 
when  he  knocketh  at  the  door  they  may  open  at  once  to  him. 
Happy  are  the  servants  whom  he  shall  find  watching,  for  he 
will  put  off  his  cloak,  and  make  them  sit  down,  and  serve 
them  himself  with  food  ;  Blessed  are  they  if  their  master  should 
come  in  the  middle  of  the  night  or  at  the  early  morning  and 
find  them  still  watching."  And  He  added  these  warning 
words,  "  Be  ye  also  ready,  for  I  shall  come  at  a  time  when 
you  do  not  expect  Me."  In  the  pause  which  followed  this 
story,  Peter,  who  was  already  taking  his  place  as  the  chief 
disciple,  asked — 

"Master,  is  this  story  spoken  only  to  us.  Thy  disciples, 
or  to  all  the  people  also?"  Jesus  did  not  answer  Peter 
directly,  but  went  on  to  tell  another  story  about  servants, 
which  showed  that  He  was  speaking  to  all  the  people  who 
stood  round  about  Him  in  the  shade  and  sunshine ;  but 
especially  to  the  disciples  whom  He  had  set  over  His  other 
followers,  saying — 

"  Blessed  is  the  faithful  and  wise  chief  servant  who  has 
been  left  in  charge  of  his  master's  house  and  servants,  and 
whom  his  master  findeth  doing  his  duty  when  he  returneth, 
for  he  will  set  him  over  everything  he  hath.  But  if  that 
servant  should  say  to  himself,  '  My  master  is  long  in  return- 
ing,' and  should  begin  to  strike  the  other  servants,  and  to 
feast  and  be  drunken,  his  master  will  come  when  he  doth 
not  expect  him,  and  will  scourge  him  and  put  him  away. 
Every  servant  who  knoweth  his  master's  wishes  and  dis- 
obeyeth  them,  shall  be  punished  with  many  strokes ;  but 
the  servant  who  doth  not  know  his  master's  wishes,  and 
yet  doeth  things  deserving  punishment,  shall  be  punished 
with  few  strokes ;  for  to  whom  much  is  given,  from  him 
shall  much  be  expected."  By  this  Jesus  meant  that  more 
good  is  expected  from  clever  and  powerful  people  than  from 


130  CLOUDS    AND    SOUTH    WIND. 

ignorant  and  weak  ones.  The  little  child  who  does  not 
intend  to  be  bad,  will  not  be  punished  so  much  as  the 
child  who  doeth  wrong  knowing  all  the  time  that  he  is  doing 
wrong.  Turning  from  His  disciples  to  the  Hstening  crowd, 
Jesus  told  them  that  they  who  followed  Him  must  not 
expect  peace,  but  rather  trouble,  even  from  their  own  dearest 
friends. 

"Do  not  think,"  He  said,  ''that  I  have  come  to  give 
peace  to  the  world,  but  rather  division ;  for  fathers  will  turn 
against  sons  for  following  me,  and  mothers  against  their 
daughters."  But  He  told  them  also  that  they  were  not  to  be 
discouraged,  and  looking  towards  the  Pharisees,  who  stood 
apart  by  themselves,  He  said  that,  clever  as  they  were, 
yet  they  could  not  see  that  their  power  was  coming  to  an 
end. 

"  When  you  see  a  cloud  rising  in  the  Western  skies,"  He  said, 
"you  say  there  will  be  rain,  and  you  are  right.  And  when 
you  feel  a  South  wind  blowing,  you  say  there  will  be  great 
heat,  and  you  are  right.  You  hypocrites  !  you  under- 
stand the  signs  of  coming  things  in  the  earth  and  sky,  but 
how  is  it  that  you  do  not  understand  the  signs  of  the  times?" 
He  then  compared  the  punishment  of  wickedness  to  the 
punishment  of  law-breakers  in  a  court  of  justice,  saying,  "  If 
thou  Hast  a  dispute,  and  art  going  with  the  public  accuser 
before  a  judge,  try  to  settle  with  the  accuser  by  the  way,  lest 
he  take  thee  to  the  judge,  and  the  judge  deliver  thee  to  the 
officer,  and  the  officer  put  thee  into  prison,  out  of  which  thou 
shalt  not  come  till  thou  hast  paid  thy  very  last  farthing." 
With  this '"warning  He  ended  His  teaching  at  this  place,  and 
as  it  was  near  the  end  of  His  journey  through  the  villages 
of  Galilee,  He  walked  on,  perhaps  in  the  cool  of  that  after- 
noon, towards  the  Lake-side  again,  which  was  not  far  off. 

Do  thou  remember  the  faithful  servant  doing  his  duty  all 
the  same  whether  his  master  seeth  him  or  no;  for  thou  art  a 
little  servant  of  Jesus,  and  in  play  or  at  work  thou  must  ever 
try  to  do  as  He  wisheth  thee. 


THE    SOWER.  131 

THE   SOWER. 

LAKE-SIDE,   AUTUMN,   A.D.   32. 

Jesus  was  again  in  Capernaum,  living  in  Peter's  house  by 
the  side  of  the  beautiful  Lake.  It  was  Autumn,  and  the  fields 
of  Gennesaret  were  cleared  of  their  yellow  crops,  and  the  clus- 
tering grapes  and  golden  oranges  hung  ripe  in  the  sunshine,  by 
the  side  of  the  blue  waves  that  sparkled  upon  the  white  beach 
of  shells  and  pebbles. 

He  loved  to  teach  at  this  spot,  and  as  He  sat  by  the  water 
in  the  cool  early  morning,  telling  the  people  about  Heaven 
and  God,  the  crowd  became  so  great  that  again  He  had  to  go 
into  a  fishing-boat,  and  speak  from  it.  See  Him  as  He  stands 
in  His  white  tunic  in  the  bow  of  the  swaying  boat !  The 
crowd,  with  their  blue  and  brown  cloaks  and  bright  kerchiefs, 
covering  the  beach,  the  rocks,  the  grass,  and  many  standing 
with  bare  feet  in  the  warm  clear  water  itself,  for  He  speaks  as 
He  never  spoke  before,  in  a  manner  new  to  Him,  but  com- 
mon to  the  other  Teachers,  telling  them  short  stories  with  a 
meaning,  which  are  called  parables ;  about  fields  and  trees, 
thorns,  flowers,  birds,  nets,  pearls,  and  many  other  things. 

Thou  hast  seen  horses  dragging  a  plough  up  and  down  a 
field,  while  the  shining  share  turns  over  the  brown  earth — 
the  farmer  is  preparing  his  field  for  the  seed, — and  the  first 
story  Jesus  told  was  about  sowing  seed.  It  was  the  time  of 
year  for  sowing  Winter  wheat  in  the  warm  plain  of  Gennesaret 
that  stretched  along  the  Western  side  of  the  Lake,  and  as  He 
spoke,  the  figure  of  a  sower  was  perhaps  seen  in  the  distance 
walking  over  his  field  of  red  earth,  scattering  wheat  from  a 
white  sheet  tied  round  his  neck,  while  the  black  crows  wheeled 
in  hundreds  over  his  head. 

"  See  ! "  said  Jesus,  pointing  to  the  distant  fields,  "  A  sower 
went  out  from  his  house  to  sow,  and  it  happened  that  as  he 
sowed,  some  seed  fell  on  the  hard  footpath  that  led  through 
the  field,  and  the  birds  came  down  and  pecked  it  up ;  and 
some    seed    fell    on    rocky  ground,  where   it    had   not  much 


132         SEED  AND  BLACK  CROWS. 

earth,  and  it  sprang  up  soon  because  it  had  no  depth  of  earth, 
but  when  the  sun  grew  hot  in  Summer  it  was  scorched,  and 
withered  away,  because  it  had  no  root ;  and  some  seed  fell 
among  young  thorns,  and  the  thorns  grew  up  with  it  and 
choked  it,  and  it  had  no  fruit;  but  some  fell  upon  good 
ground,  and  it  grew  up,  increasing  and  having  fruit,  some 
more  and  some  less."  Thou  canst  see  this  field  !  It  has  a 
hedge  round  about  it,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  hedge  is  the  place 
where  the  prickly  briars  spring  up  ;  in  the  upper  corner  of  the 
field,  black  rocks  are  sticking  through  the  poor  shallow  earth, 
while  the  rest  of  the  field  is  red  with  deep  rich  soil ;  through 
it  there  is  a  footpath,  sun-dried,  trodden  hard,  and  as  the 
sower  scatters  his  wheat,  hundreds  of  black  crows  are  watch- 
ing him,  wheeling  and  crossing  in  the  air  over  his  head,  and 
alighting  down  behind  him.  • 

But  the  disciples  and  their  friends  did  not  catch  the  mean- 
ing of  this  story,  and  this  is  how  Jesus  explained  it  to  them  in 
Peter's  house  that  afternoon. 

"Do  you  not  understand  this  story?"  He  asked.  "How 
then  will  you  understand  other  stories?  "  Then  He  told  them, 
that  while  they  would  understand  it,  many  other  people  would 
not,  adding,  "  Blessed  are  your  eyes  and  ears,  for  they  shall 
see  and  hear  things  which  many  good  men  have  wished  to 
know.  This  is  the  meaning  of  the  story  of  the  sower.  My 
words  are  like  the  seed.  When  any  one  heareth  My  words 
and  understandeth  them  not,  then  cometh  the  spirit  of  evil 
and  taketh  away  that  which  he  had  received,  and  that  is  what 
I  mean  by  the  seed  sown  on  the  footpath,  v/hich  the  crows 
carried  aw  y.  When  any  one  heareth  My  words  and  at  once 
receiveth  them  with  joy,  and  believeth  them  for  a  while,  but 
having  no  hold  of  them  cannot  withstand  a  time  of  temptation 
— that  is  what  I  mean  by  the  seed  sown  upon  rocky  places, 
which  the  sun  scorched.  When  any  one  having  heard  My 
words,  goeth  away  and  My  words  are  choked  with  the  cares, 
riches,  aiid  pleasures  of  life,  and  bring  no  fruit  to  perfection  ; 
that  is  what  I  mean  by  the  seed  which  fell  among  thorns  that 
grew  up  and  choked  it.     And  what  I  mean  by  the  seed  that 


THE    ANGEL-REAPERS.  I  33 

fell  into  good  ground,  are  people  who  with  an  honest  and  good 
heart,  having  heard  My  words,  hold  them  safely  and  bring 
forth  fruit  with  patience." 

How  simple  now  is  the  lesson  !  The  crowd  of  people  on 
that  sunny  beach  were  the  field,  Jesus  was  the  Sower  who  was 
spreading  the  seeds  of  Heaven  among  men.  Some  of  His 
words  fell  on  cold,  hard  minds,  some  on  shallow,  emotional 
minds,  some  on  vain  and  worldly  ones  that  liked  His  teaching 
and  resolved  to  follow  it,  but  whose  good  resolutions  faded 
away  when  they  went  back  to  their  business  and  their  pleas- 
ures. But  there  were  good  and  honest  minds  in  that  crowd 
too,  who  kept  the  words  of  Jesus  and  tried  to  be  like  Him. 

Remember,  then,  that  the  best  ground  for  the  words  of 
Jesus  to  grow  in  is  an  honest,  good,  and  gentle  heart,  such  an 
heart  as  any  little  child  may  have ;  and  what  child  would 
not  like  to  have  the  words  of  Jesus  kept  safely  in  his  memory, 
to  bear  precious  fruit  in  his  life  ? 

THE    ANGEL-REAPERS. 

LAKE-SmE,   AUTUMN,   A.D.    32. 

The  second  short  story  which  Jesus  told  the  people  as  He 
sat  in  the  boat  that  floated  by  the  white  beach  on  that  sunny 
Autumn  morning  was  about  "  The  Lamp  of  Lights  He  told 
them  that  it  was  like  a  good  person  whose  beautiful  life  shed  a 
bright  influence  all  around  him. 

"  When  a  man  hath  lit  a  lamp,"  He  said,  ''  he  doth  not  put 
a  cover  over  it,  but  placeth  it  on  a  stand  that  all  who  come 
into  the  house  may  see."  The  people  were  thus  not  to  believe 
in  Jesus  and  then  hide  their  belief  from  everybody,  but  were 
rather  to  show  it  and  make  it  known,  and  He  warned  them 
against  thinking  they  could  hide  their  thoughts  from  God. 
"  There  is  nothing  hidden  that  shall  not  be  seen,"  He  con- 
tinued, "  and  nothing  secret  that  shall  not  be  known.  If  you 
measure  justly  to  others,  just  measure  shall  be  given  back  to 
you.  To  him  that  hath,  shall  more  be  given,  and  from  him 
that  hath  not,  shall  be  taken  even  the  little  which  he  seemeth 


134  TARES    AND    WHEAT. 

to  have  " — meaning  that  they  who  had  the  Hght  of  His  Spirit 
within  them,  and  who  showed  it,  would  receive  more  of  His 
Spirit,  while  they  who  hid  it  would  have  the  Httle  taken  away 
which  they  had  :  therefore,  let  thy  little  light  shine,  and  more 
light  will  be  given  thee. 

The  stories  which  Jesus  told  them  next  on  that  hot  Autumn 
day  were  about  God,  His  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  and  His  own 
teaching.  It  is  not  likely  that  He  told  them  one  after  another, 
but  rather  at  different  times  of  the  day.  The  story  about 
^^  The  Tares  and  the  Wheat^'  is  again  about  a  farmer  who 
sowed  wheat,  and  of  a  troublesome  weed  called  the  darnel 
weed,  which  all  the  people  knew. 

"My  teaching  to-day,"  Jesus  said,  "is  like  a  farmer  who 
sowed  good  wheat  in  his  field,  but  an  enemy  came  in  the 
night  time  and  sowed  tares  among  the  wheat  and  went  away. 
And  when  the  wheat  sprang  up  with  the  green  blade  and  the 
ear,  the  tares  grew  up  also,  and  the  farmer's  servants  came  and 
said,  '  Master,  didst  thou  not  sow  good  seed  in  thy  field  ? 
where  have  the  tares  come  from  ? '  To  which  he  replied, 
*Mine  enemy  hath  done  this  thing.'  Then  the  servants  asked 
him  if  they  should  not  go  and  pull  up  the  tares,  but  he  said, 
'■  Nay  !  lest  while  you  pull  up  the  tares  you  root  up  the  wheat 
with  them.  Let  them  both  grow  together  until  the  harvest 
time,  and  then  I  will  tell  my  reapers  to  gather  the  tares  up 
first  and  tie  them  into  bundles  and  burn  them,  and  then  to 
gather  the  wheat  into  my  barns.'  "  Now  a  tare,  or  darnel 
weed,  is  very  difficult  to  tell  from  poor  wheat  until  fully  grown, 
and  it  is  poisonous  and  fit  to  spoil  any  crop,  and  the  country 
people  knew  well  how  they  gathered  the  weeds  and  thorns 
into  heaps  in  their  fields  and  burnt  them  up  to  get  rid  of  them. 
In  this  story  the  words  of  Jesus  again  are  the  seed  of  Heaven ; 
but  the  people  did  not  rightly  understand  what  He  meant  until 
later  on,  when  His  disciple  asked  Him  to  explain  it,  and  this 
is  what  He  said — 

"The  world  is  the  field,  and  My  words  are  the  seed  of 
Heaven  among  men.  The  people  who  follow  after  goodness 
are  the  wheat,  while  they  who  follow  wickedness  are  the  tares, 


THE  GREEN  BLADE  AND  THE  EAR.     1 35 

and  the  enemy  that  soweth  the  tares  is  the  spirit  of  evil ;  the 
harvest  is  the  end  of  the  world,  and  the  angels  are  the  reapers. 
As  the  tares  in  the  story  were  gathered  up  and  burned,  so 
shall  it  be  with  the  wicked,  for  I  will  send  My  angels  and  they 
shall  gather  the  wicked  out  of  the  world,  and  all  things  that 
cause  wickedness,  and  cast  them  into  fire.  And  the  riuht- 
eous  shall  shine  as  the  sun  in  the  Kingdom  of  their  Father  in 
Heaven." 

Whether  wilt  thou,  my  child,  be  among  the  wheat  in  this 
Kingdom,  with  a  fruitful  head  of  bending  gold,  or  among  the 
tares,  holding  up  a  poor,  deceitful  stalk?  In  this  story  Jesus 
speaks  of  death  as  His  gentle  beautiful  angels,  reaping  the 
golden  fields  of  the  world,  and  bearing  His  children  home ; 
and  the  poet  Longfellow,  a  true  lover  of  children,  has  also 
spoken  of  this  reaper,  Death,  as  an  angel,  and  of  little  children 
as  flowers,  in  a  beautiful  poem  which  thou  shouldst  learn,  for 
it  is  perhaps  the  gentlest  picture  of  death  in  English  poetry, 
and  he  says  this — 

"  Oh  !  not  in  cruelty,  not  in  wrath 
The  Reaper  came  that  day, 
'Twas  an  Angel  visited  the  green  earth 
And  took  the  flowers  away." 


THE  GREEN  BLADE  AND  THE  EAR. 

LAKE-SIDE,   AUTUMN,  A.D.   32. 

The  next  story  which  Jesus  told  the  people  that  day  was 
about  how  the  seed  grows.  Wheat  is  sown  in  the  late  Autumn, 
and  hes  in  the  earth  during  all  the  Wintry  snows ;  but  see  the 
field  in  Spring,  under  white  clouds  and  a  blue  sky,  when  the 
days  are  of  sunshine  and  rain.  It  seems  all  brown  earth,  but 
if  thou  wert  to  turn  over  a  few  lumps,  thou  wouldst  see  little 
white  points  shooting  up ;  a  few  days,  and  they  are  through 
the  ground,  tinged  with  green  ;  a  few  days  more,  and  the  field 
is  covered  with  their  soft  spikes,  giving  quite  a  green  shadow 
to  it ;  a  few  weeks,  and  these  spikes  open  into  emerald  sheaths, 
that  quite  hide  the  old  brown  earth ;  a  few  more  weeks  and  it 


136  MUSTARD    SEED. 

is  Summer,  with  green  blades  rising  into  spear  stalks,  throwing 
out  gracefully  bending  leaves,  each  stalk  crowned  with  an  ear 
of  wheat  that  grows  thicker  as  the  grain  swells  ;  in  Autumn  the 
stalks  are  as  tall  as  thyself,  dry  and  rustling  in  the  sunny  wind, 
heavy  with  grain,  till  the  reapers  come  and  bear  away  the 
golden  harvest  to  the  barn.  That  is  how  wheat  grows,  and 
this  is  the  story  of  "  The  Green  Blade  and  the  Ear^ 

*' My  words  to-day,"  said  Jesus,  "are  spreading  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven  among  men,  just  as  if  a  farmer  were  to  sow  seed  in 
the  earth,  and  go  away  for  months,  and  the  seed  should  grow 
and  spring  up,  he  knoweth  not  how,  growing  of  itself,  first  the 
green  blade,  then  the  ear,  then  the  full  wheat  in  the  ear ;  and 
when  it  is  ripe,  he  should  come  and  reap  the  yellow  grain  with 
his  sickle,  for  the  harvest  is  ready."  Thus  Jesus  scattered 
His  words  like  the  seed  of  Heaven,  which,  falling  into  honest 
hearts,  would  spring  up  a  harvest  of  good  thoughts  and  deeds, 
in  His  Kingdom  in  the  world. 

The  next  story  He  told  them  is  called  "  The  Grain  of 
Mustard  Seed,""  and  is  also  about  sowing,  and  how  His  King- 
dom would  spread  among  men.  Thou  hast  seen  the  wild 
mustard  among  the  corn  with  its  small  yellow  flower  growing 
so  close  and  thick  that  for  days  the  whole  field  is  of  buttercup 
yellow.  But  in  that  country  the  wild  mustard  grows  to  the 
size  of  a  little  tree,  although  its  seed  is  as  small  as  a  pin's 
head. 

"The  growth  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,"  said  Jesus,  "is 
like  a  grain  of  mustard  seed  which  a  man  sowed  in  his  garden, 
and,  althp'igh  it  is  the  smallest  of  all  seeds,  yet  when  it 
groweth  up  it  becometh  a  tree  spreading  out  large  branches, 
so  that  the  birds  can  sit  in  its  shade."  Little  children  some- 
times think  they  are  too  small  to  do  any  good  thing;  but  if 
the  Spirit  of  Jesus,  like  the  little  mustard  seed,  be  dropped 
into  the  garden  of  their  heart,  it  will  grow  until  it  fills  the  little 
heart  with  Heaven. 

The  people  in  that  country  baked  their  own  bread,  and  the 
next  story  Jesus  told  them  as  they  stood  by  the  side  of  the 
beautiful    Lake  was  about   the   ^^ Leaven''   with  which  they 


GOLD    IN    A    FIELD.  1 37 

baked  their  bread.  He  knew  that  women  ground  the  wheat 
into  flour  between  two  small  millstones,  and  He  had  often, 
when  a  boy,  seen  His  mother  putting  leaven  into  the  flour  and 
letting  it  stand  covered  up  for  some  hours  that  it  might  bake 
rightly.  But  what  is  this  leaven  which  the  dark  women  of 
that  country  hid  among  their  flour?  In  England  it  is  called 
"yeast,"  and  the  strange  thing  about  it  is  that  if  only  a  little  is 
put  in  among  a  heap  of  flour  it  wiU  infect  the  flour  with  its 
own  nature  until  the  whole  of  the  flour  is  leavened. 

"The  power  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  in  the  world,"  said 
Jesus,  "  is  like  leaven  which  a  woman  hid  in  three  measures  of 
meal,  until  the  whole  of  the  meal  was  leavened."  And  if  the 
words  of  Jesus  are  hidden  in  thy  heart,  they  will  change  thy 
little  heart  until  it  becometh  Hke  His,  a  holy  temple  for  God 
to  dwefl  in.  Now,  this  was  the  last  of  the  stories  about  His 
Kingdom  among  men,  which  Jesus  told  the  people  from  the 
boat ;  and  standing  up  He  bade  them  go  away  home,  and 
they  went  away,  some  along  the  road  by  the  Lake  towards 
the  towns,  some  up  the  green  glens  to  the  hills.  And  the 
disciples  came  into  the  boat,  and  as  they  rowed  away 
towards  Capernaum  the  setting  sun  cast  the  shadows  of 
the  hills  upon  a  calm  Lake  of  deeper  blue,  while  in  the 
silence,  broken  only  by  the  dripping  oars,  Jesus  explained  to 
His  disciples  what  He  had  said  to  the  people,  for  He  had 
spoken  in  stories  all  that  day  :  but  the  story  of  "  The  Sower  ^^ 
He  did  not  explain  till  they  got  home  to  Peter's  house. 
There  he  told  them  more  stories,  all  about  His  words  and  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven  in  the  world,  the  first  of  which  stories  is 
called  "  The  Treasure  in  the  Field, ^^  and  it  is  about  what  a  man 
did  who  found  gold  in  a  field. 

"  The  Kingdom  of  Heaven,"  Jesus  said,  "  is  like  a  treasure 
which  a  man  found  buried  in  a  field,  and  he  was  so  glad  that 
he  sold  everything  he  had  and  bought  that  field."  By  this 
Jesus  meant  that  they  were  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  have 
Heaven.  But  thou  knowest  that  gold  cannot  buy  it,  but  that 
if  thou  dost  ask  God,  He  will  give  thee  this  treasure  of 
Heaven  in  the  little  field  of  thine  own  heart. 


I  ^S  PEARLS. 

Merchants  in  that  country  rode  long  distances  on  camels 
to  buy  precious  things — ^jewels,  spices,  silks,  rare  woods,  and 
dyes, — and  some  were  pearl  merchants,  who  bought  pearls 
from  men,  who  dived  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea  for  them. 
Now  a  pearl  is  round  as  a  pea,  of  a  greyish-white  colour, 
beautifully  smooth  and  lustrous,  and  they  are  found  in  shells, 
and  are  much  thought  of  as  beautiful  gems.  And  the  next 
story  Jesus  told  was  about  "  T/ie  Pearl  of  Great  Price.'^ 

"The  Kingdom  of  Heaven,"  He  said,  "is  like  a  pearl 
merchant,  who  having  found  one  pearl  of  great  price,  sold 
everything  he  had  and  bought  the  pearl."  Thus  Jesus  showed 
them  that  Heaven  is  above  all  things  to  be  wished  for.  And 
the  words  of  Jesus  !  what  beautiful  pearls  !  what  strings  of 
pearls  they  are  !  When  people  give  so  much  for  jewel- 
pearls,  which  they  may  lose  or  break,  how  much  more  should 
they  wish  to  have  the  words  of  Jesus  ?  See  thou  that  having 
got  them  thou  dost  keep  them  safe,  that  they  get  not  dull,  lost, 
or  forgotten,  but  are  ever  bright  in  thy  memory. 

The  next  story  Jesus  told  in  the  house  is  about  "  The  Fishing- 
Net,''  and  as  Peter  and  most  of  His  disciples  were  fishermen, 
and  fishing-boats  could  be  seen  on  the  Lake  from  the  cottage 
door,  they  easily  understood  Him.  Hast  thou  ever  seen  a 
fishing-net  ?  It  is  made  of  brown  twine  knotted  into  squares 
that  thou  couldst  not  get  thy  small  hand  through,  yet  the  net 
could  hold  twenty  children  such  as  thee,  and  it  is  let  out 
between  two  boats,  and  hangs  down  in  the  water,  and  the  fish 
swimming  along,  run  their  heads  into  the  little  squares,  where 
they  stick  fast,  and  are  found  when  the  net  is  pulled  up,  some 
shining  like  silver,  some  dull  as  lead,  some  with  the  colours 
of  the  rainbow. 

"  The  Kingdom  of  Heaven,"  said  Jesus,  "  is  like  a  net  that 
men  cast  into  the  lake,  that  caught  fish  of  every  kind,  and 
when  it  was  full,  the  fishermen  drew  it  in  to  the  shore,  and 
sitting  do\yn  gathered  the  good  fish  into  dishes,  but  the  bad 
fish  they  threw  away.  And  so  shall  it  be  in  the  end  of  the 
world,  when  the  angels  shall  come  to  separate  the  good  people 
from  the  bad."     Jesus   had   now  told  His  last  story  to  the 


BIRDS    OF    THE    AIR    HAVE    NESTS.  1 39 

disciples,  and  had  explained  the  others  which  He  told  the 
people  from  the  boat,  and  had  answered  all  the  disciples' 
questions. 

"  Have  you  understood  all  these  things?  "  He  asked  them. 

"  Yes,"  they  replied  ;  and  so  ended  all  the  beautiful  stories 
of  that  remarkable  day — stories  with  a  meaning. 

And  thou  wilt  not  forget  that  the  words  of  Jesus  are  precious 
seed  to  thee,  precious  in  that  they  are  His  Spirit  which  will 
give  thee  that  Heaven  for  which  all  men  seek. 


BIRDS   OF   THE   AIR   HAVE   NESTS. 

LAKE-SIDE,  AUTUMN,   A.D.    32. 

Evening  was  now  approaching,  but  the  people  who  had 
followed  Jesus  would  not  go  away  from  the  door  of  Peter's 
cottage,  and  as  most  of  the  villages  were  on  that  side  of  the 
Lake,  the  crowd  was  large ;  but  across  the  Lake  was  the  wild 
rocky  country  of  Gadara,  and  His  friends  advised  Him  to  go 
over  to  the  other  side  that  night  if  He  wished  to  have  rest  and 
quiet.  So  Jesus  gave  orders  to  get  ready  the  large  boat,  and 
the  news  spread  among  the  people  that  He  was  about  to 
leave  them,  and  while  some  begged  Him  to  stay,  others  went 
to  get  boats  and  sail  across  with  Him.  Walking  from  the 
house  to  the  beach.  He  was  just  about  to  enter  the  boat,  when 
a  rich  Lawyer,  a  Teacher  of  the  people,  who  had  greatly  liked 
what  Jesus  had  been  saying,  came  forward  to  Him. 

"  Master  !  "  he  said,  "  I  will  follow  Thee  wherever  Thou 
goest."     But  Jesus  replied  in  these  tired  words — 

"  Foxes  have  holes,  and  birds  of  the  air  have  nests,  but  I 
have  not  a  place  whereon  to  lay  My  head."  We  know  not 
whether  the  rich  man  went  with  Jesus.  To  another  man  in 
the  crowd,  that  pressed  round  Him,  Jesus  spoke  those  old 
impressive  words  which  He  first  used  to  His  disciple  Philip — 

"  Follow  Me  ! "  but  the  man  wished  to  wait  a  little. 

"  Master,  let  me  first  bury  my  father,"  he  said.  But  Jesus 
would  not  let  him  go. 


140  CROSSING    THE    LAKE. 

"  Follow  Me  !  "  He  said  again.  '^  Let  the  dead  bury  their 
dead,  but  go  thou  and  tell  My  words  to  others."  I  do  not 
know  what  Jesus  meant  by  these  words  about  the  dead,  but 
He  certainly  did  not  mean  that  a  man  should  not  bury  his 
father.  Perhaps  the  man's  answer  was  only  an  excuse,  for 
Jesus  did  not  think  it  a  sufficient  reason.  Hearing  what  had 
been  said,  another  man  came  forward  and  exclaimed — 

"  I  will  follow  Thee,  Master,  but  first  let  me  bid  farewell  to 
my  friends  at  home."  But  Jesus  would  not  let  him  go  either, 
for  he  knew  that  the  man  might  never  return  if  he  went  back 
among  his  friends,  and  He  took  him  into  the  boat,  saying — 

*'  No  one  who  putteth  his  hand  to  the  plough  and  looketh 
back  is  fit  for  Heaven."  Thou  knowest  how  a  ploughman, 
when  he  ploughs,  keeps  his  eye  fixed  on  what  is  before  him, 
so  any  one  who  follows  Jesus  must  not  go  unwillingly  if  he 
would  be  a  true  follower. 

But  this  farewell-taking  at  the  water's  edge  was  too  slow 
for  Peter  and  the  disciples,  for  the  sun  was  going  down  amid 
lurid  clouds,  and  they  feared  a  storm,  and  with  gentle  urgency 
they  took  Jesus  as  He  was,  and  hurried  Him  into  the  boat. 
Counting  disciples  and  the  sailors  who  were  to  bring  the  boat 
back,  there  would  be  about  twenty  men  in  it,  most  of  them 
fishermen,  accustomed  to  sail  in  all  kinds  of  weather.  The 
anchor  was  pulled  up  and  taken  in  over  the  bow,  and  the 
huge  peaked  brown  sail  was  swung  up  from  the  mast,  and 
as  the  wind  filled  it  and  the  boat  began  to  glide  through 
the  water,  Peter  grasped  the  tiller,  and  they  were  soon  sail- 
ing away  from  the  shore  and  the  people.  And  the  men  who 
had  launched  little  boats  came  after  them.  The  sun  went 
down  amid  wild  fiery  clouds,  throwing  a  red  glare  upon 
their  high  sail,  darkness  came  suddenly  over  the  hills  without 
starlight,  and  they  had  six  miles  to  go,  for  they  were  crossing 
at  the  broadest  part  of  the  Lake. 

Tired  v/ith  His  day's  work,  wrapping  His  thick  blue  cloak 
about  Him,  Jesus  lay  down  in  the  stern  of  the  boat  and  was 
soon  asleep;  and  some  one  put  the  steersman's  leather 
cushion  under  His  head,  and  He  lay  sleeping  soundly  on 


A    STORM.  141 

His  hard  bed  amid  all  the  noise  of  wind  and  waves  and  creak- 
ing rigging.  Sitting  on  the  raised  steersman's  seat,  Peter's 
brown  weatherbeaten  face  was  grave  and  even  stern,  as  he 
grasped  the  rope  of  the  large  sail  with  one  hand,  and  the  tiller 
with  the  other,  now  looking  up  at  the  huge  bulging  canvas,  as 
a  gust  of  wind  bent  the  boat's  edge  down  to  the  hissing  water, 
and  now  stooping  down  and  gazing  steadily  under  the  sail  into 
the  darkness  ahead,  and  again  looking  at  the  chasing  clouds 
in  the  sky  to  windward.  He  was  anxious,  but  Jesus,  rocked 
by  the  boat,  slept  on,  with  His  head  close  to  Peter.  The  wind 
shifted  and  blew  unsteadily,  and  the  boat's  course  had  to  be 
altered  several  times  in  the  dark,  with  rattling  ropes  and  flap- 
ping sail,  and  the  waves  rose,  but  the  boat  bounded  over  them, 
and  still  Jesus  slept. 

The  weather  had  changed,  the  wind  blew  in  wild  gusts,  and 
Peter  was  doubly  watchful,  for  the  voyage  would  be  longer 
than  they  had  intended.  "  What  is  that  ?  "  some  one  exclaimed, 
as  they  listened  to  a  distant  hissing  sound.  They  knew  what 
was  coming ;  one  of  those  sudden  storms  from  the  Eastern 
hills  that  are  common  on  that  Lake,  and  scarcely  had  the 
boat's  head  been  put  round  to  meet  the  storm,  and  the  sail 
brought  rattling  down  and  secured,  than  the  wind  struck  them, 
driving  the  boat  before  it  with  bare  mast,  the  gale  increasing 
every  instant.  Oars  were  put  out  to  steady  them,  with  two 
men  to  each  oar,  while  the  increasing  waves,  rolling  up  behind, 
went  hissing  and  heaving  under  them,  and  as  the  boat  rose  and 
fell  their  whole  skill  was  needed  to  keep  the  water  from  com- 
ing in.  They  were  now  alone  on  the  dark  stormy  Lake,  for 
the  little  boats  had  all  gone  back  when  they  saw  the  weather 
changing ;  but  although  the  boat  was  rocking  and  pitching 
wildly,  Jesus  slept  on.  The  wind  increased  still  more,  and 
waves  began  to  strike  them  and  leap  in,  wetting  the  disciples ; 
but  they  did  not  mind  that,  so  long  as  the  boat  floated  well ; 
but  the  waves  grew  so  high  and  dangerous,  that,  fishermen  as 
they  were,  they  began  to  be  afraid.  It  was  an  open  boat,  and 
if  one  of  these  great  waves  should  break  over  them  it  would 
sink  them,  and  they  held  to  their  seats  in  silence,  till  at  length 


142         LEGION  AND  THE  SWINE. 

a  wave  larger  than  the  rest  hit  the  boat  and  poured  in,  and  it 
began  to  fill  with  water,  and  thinking  they  were  lost,  some  one 
cried  in  terror  to  Jesus — 

"  Master,  Master,  we  are  sinking  !  "  Their  cries  awoke 
Him,  although  the  wind  did  not,  and  Jesus  rose  and  faced 
the  storm  suddenly  and  for  the  first  time,  the  wind  beating  on 
Him  and  the  spray  smiting  His  face,  while  the  boat  heaved 
and  tossed  under  His  feet.  Looking  out  upon  the  dark  waters. 
He  rebuked  the  wind,  and  said  to  the  waves — 

"  Peace,  be  still."  His  voice  was  scarce  heard  by  His  terri- 
fied disciples  ;  but  there  came  a  great  calm,  for  storms  on  that 
Lake  pass  away  almost  as  suddenly  as  they  come,  and  the  dis- 
ciples were  filled  with  amazement  as  great  as  lately  had  been 
their  fear,  and  in  the  silence  they  heard  Jesus  asking  them — 

"  Why  are  you  afraid  ?  Do  you  not  yet  trust  Me  ?  "  They 
did  not  speak.  They  were  afraid  of  Him,  afraid  of  His 
power,  afraid  of  His  look,  afraid  of  what  He  had  said,  for  they 
did  not  yet  believe  that  their  own  Countryman  was  the  Son 
of  God.  Oars  were  put  out  again,  and  as  the  men  rowed 
towards  the  shore  of  Gadara,  the  wind  having  driven  them  to 
the  Southern  end  of  the  Lake,  the  sailors  said  to  each  other  in 
whispers — 

"  Who  is  this  that  commandeth  the  wind  and  the  waves,  and 
they  obey  Him?  "  Peter  knew,  as  he  sat  with  his  hand  on  the 
tiller ;  but  no  one  answered. 

Remember,  then,  that  in  the  darkest  hour  and  amid  the 
wildest  danger,  there  is  One,  Jesus,  who,  if  thou  dost  call  on 
Him,  will  Ccilm  thy  fears  and  give  thee  strength. 

LEGION   AND   THE   SWINE. 

GADARA,   AUTUMN,  A.D.    32. 

When  the  sun  rose  next  morning  over  the  Hills  of  Bashan, 
all  was  calm  and  beautiful  upon  the  Lake,  with  the  blue  sky 
and  white  clouds  reflected  on  its  breast,  and  no  one  could 
have  told  that  in  the  night  a  storm  had  been  raging  there. 
Peter's  boat  was  rocking  at  anchor  in  a  Httle  gravelly  creek  of 


LANDING    AT    GADARA.  1 43 

a  river  close  to  the  shore  at  Gadara,  where,  excepting  for  a 
green  strip  of  grass  and  bushes  near  the  beach,  all  was  wild 
and  rocky,  rising  into  high  flat  mountains,  with  no  houses  near 
the  Lake.  Roaming  among  the  dry  grass  and  stones  were 
droves  of  swine,  in  charge  of  swineherds,  brought  to  this  lonely 
place  to  feed  on  the  wild  roots,  for  the  Jews  would  not  allow 
them  to  be  near  their  villages,  nor  would  they  eat  or  touch 
ham  or  bacon.  Tombs  also  were  there,  dark  caves  in  the 
limestone  rock  of  the  hills,  in  which  people  were  buried. 
But  there  was  something  even  more  dreadful.  A  maniac  lived 
among  these  tombs,  who  wandered  among  the  mountain  gorges 
and  the  caves  by  day  and  night,  uttering  strange  cries,  and 
cutting  himself  with  sharp  stones,  for  he  had  torn  his  clothes 
to  pieces  and  was  naked ;  and  the  people  were  afraid  to  pass 
that  way.  He  had  been  caught  once  or  twice  and  bound,  but 
he  was  so  strong  that  he  had  broken  his  bonds,  and  fled  back 
to  these  caves  by  the  lonely  shore,  and  no  person  could  tame 
him  ;  and  his  name  was  Legion. 

When  Jesus,  and  those  who  were  with  Him,  landed  from 
the  boat.  Legion  came  out  from  a  cave,  looking  wildly  at  them 
through  his  tangled  hair ;  but  when  he  saw  Jesus,  he  ran  over 
the  grass  and  down  the  stony  beach  with  his  bare  feet,  and 
lying  down  before  Jesus,  worshipped  Him.  Jesus  was  not 
afraid  of  him,  and  had  pity  on  his  dreadful  state ;  but  Legion, 
with  his  face  to  the  ground,  shrieked — 

"  What  have  I  to  do  with  Thee,  Jesus,  thou  Son  of  the 
most  High  God.     I  beg  you,  by  God,  torment  me  not." 

"  What  is  thy  name  ?  "  Jesus  asked  gently. 

"My  name  is  '  Legion,'  for  we  are  many,"  he  cried. — Now 
Legion  means  six  thousand. — And  he  begged  Jesus  not  to 
send  the  trouble  that  was  in  him  into  the  place  of  evil  spirits. 
"  Send  us  to  the  swine,"  he  cried,  "  that  we  may  go  into  them." 

"  Come  out,  thou  wicked  spirit,  out  of  the  man  ! "  Jesus 
replied. 

Now  there  was  a  herd  of  about  two  thousand  swine  feeding 
near  by  upon  rising  ground,  that  sloped  quickly  down  to  the 
water,  which  is  deep  close  to  the  shore  at  that  place,  and  when 


144  RETURN    TO    THY    HOME. 

Jesus  spoke,  Legion's  madness  entered  the  swine,  and  they 
rushed  wildly  down  the  slope  into  the  Lake  and  were  drowned. 
The  swineherds  were  astonished,  for  they  saw  no  cause  for 
this,  and  fled  away  to  their  masters  in  the  town  of  Gadara, 
among  the  hills,  spreading  the  news  as  they  went,  that  a 
fishing-boat  had  come  to  the  shore  in  the  night  time,  that 
Legion  had  run  to  meet  the  people,  and  that  the  swine 
were  drowned.  The  people  of  Gadara  were  alarmed,  and, 
guided  by  the  swineherds,  they  came  down  to  the  Lake  in 
numbers  to  see  what  had  taken  place,  and  found  the  strangers 
and  Legion  still  there.  Some  one  had  given  Legion  a  cloak, 
and  there  he  sat  at  the  feet  of  the  young  white-robed  Stranger, 
the  terror  of  the  tombs,  clothed,  and  in  his  right  mind,  with 
his  tangled  hair  swept  back  from  his  face,  and  the  people 
were  afraid  when  they  saw  where  the  swine  were  drowned, 
and  heard  how  Legion  had  been  healed ;  and  soon  more 
people  came  down  to  the  Lake  from  the  country  round  about. 
Had  this  wonderful  Stranger  come  to  punish  them  for  keeping 
swine  ?  They  were  afraid  to  touch  Jesus.  He  might  destroy 
them ;  and  they  begged  Him  to  come  no  further,  but  as  a 
favour  to  go  back  into  the  boat  and  leave  their  shore.  Jesus 
did  not  reply,  but  ordered  the  boat  to  be  made  ready.  There 
was  one  whose  heart  sank  within  him  at  this — Legion.  Now, 
calm  and  earnest,  he  followed  Jesus  to  the  water's  edge,  and 
begged  to  be  taken  with  them.  But  Jesus  had  another  use 
for  him,  to  stay  and  be  His  Teacher  among  those  darkened 
Gadarenes  who  would  not  receive  Him,  and  He  said  kindly 
to  Legion^- 

"  Return  to  thy  home  and  thy  friends,  and  tell  them  what 
great  things  God  hath  done  for  thee,  and  how  He  hath  had 
mercy  on  thee."  Legion  was  satisfied,  and  the  people  stood 
sullenly  on  the  shore  watching  the  boat  being  pushed  out  from 
the  creek  into  the  Lake,  and  the  brown  sail  hoisted ;  how 
different  from  the  people  who  bade  Jesus  farewell  upon  the 
other  side  the  evening  before  !  And  so  the  Gadarenes  pre- 
ferred undisturbed  swine-feeding  to  the  words  of  Jesus,  of 
whom  stories  had  been  wafted  to  them  across  the  Lake.     But 


THE    RULERS    LITTLE    DAUGHTER.  1 45 

Legion  went  about  in  Gadara  and  the  other  nine  towns  of 
the  DecapoUs  in  the  country  East  of  the  Lake  telHng  what 
Jesus  had  done  for  him,  and  as  people  Ustened  to  the  sensible 
reasoning  of  the  man  who  was  once  a  terrible  maniac,  some 
believed  that  only  the  power  of  God  in  Jesus  could  have  made 
this  change  in  him. 

Remember,  then,  how  these  foolish  Gadarenes  stopped  Jesus 
on  the  very  edge  of  their  country.  Are  there  no  httle  boys  or 
girls  who  are  at  present  refusing  to  let  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  enter 
their  hearts  ?    Be  not  thou  one  of  those  dark  little  Gadarenes. 


THE    RULER'S    LITTLE    DAUGHTER. 

CAPERNAUM,   AUTUMN,   A.D,    32. 

With  the  morning  sun  sparkling  on  the  blue  water  of  the 
Lake,  and  lighting  up  their  peaked  red  sail,  Jesus  and  His 
disciples  sailed  away  from  the  shore  of  Gadara  and  the  crowd 
of  sullen  people  standing  there,  away  towards  Capernaum  at 
the  other  end  of  the  Lake,  passing  the  towns  of  Tiberius, 
Magdala,  and  many  others,  and  sailing  under  the  towering 
cliffs  of  weather-beaten  rock  that  rose  from  the  water's  edge 
near  the  bay  of  Capernaum  ;  and  after  some  hours  they  neared 
the  harbour  and  quays  of  that  town.  The  storm  of  last  night 
had  made  His  friends  anxious  for  His  safety,  and  when  Peter's 
boat  was  recognised  returning,  they  came  down  to  the  water  to 
meet  Him,  until  there  was  a  crowd  waiting ;  and  when  the 
huge  sail  was  pulled  down,  and  the  boat  glided  alongside  the 
quay,  the  people  welcomed  Him  back  gladly.  But  a  well- 
known  person  was  seen  pressing  through  the  crowd,  Jairus, 
one  of  the  chief  men  of  their  church  and  town,  and  the  people 
made  way  for  him,  for  there  was  a  look  of  distress  in  his  face. 
Perhaps  his  little  daughter  was  worse?  To  their  surprise, 
when  Jairus  came  up  to  Jesus,  the  great  man  bowed  down 
before  Him,  like  one  of  the  poorest  of  the  people,  and  said — 

"  My  little  daughter  is  dying.  I  pray  Thee,  come  and  put 
Thine  hand  upon  her,  that  she  may  live."  He  knew  of  Jesus 
having  healed  the  nobleman's  servant,  for  he  was  one  of  the 


146       THE  FRINGE  OF  HIS  CLOAK. 

elders  of  the  town  who  asked  Him  to  do  it.  Jesus  left  the  land- 
ing place  and  went  away  with  Jairus  towards  his  fine  house, 
which  was  outside  the  town,  His  disciples  and  the  people 
following ;  and  as  they  went,  they  were  delayed  by  the  con- 
stantly increasing  crowd  who  pressed  round  about  them. 
Now,  in  that  crowd  there  was  a  poor  woman,  weak  with  illness, 
who  by  hard  struggling  had  got  close  behind  Jesus,  and  she 
thought  if  she  might  only  touch  His  cloak  she  would  be 
healed.  So  when  the  people  were  pushing  to  and  fro,  and  no 
one  was  looking,  she  touched  the  blue  and  white  fringe  of 
His  outer  cloak,  which  was  thought  by  good  people  to  be  a 
very  important  part  of  the  dress,  and  immediately  she  hid  her- 
self among  the  crowd,  for  she  felt  she  was  healed.  But  Jesus 
stopped,  and  turning  round,  said  to  the  people  near  Him — 

"Who  touched  Me?"  for  He  knew  that  some  one  had 
touched  Him.     But  everybody  denied  having  done  so. 

"  Master  ! "  said  Peter,  "  the  people  press  Thee,  and  crush 
Thee  on  every  side,  and  yet  Thou  dost  ask,  *  Who  touched 
Me  ?  '"     Peter  thought  the  question  a  very  strange  one. 

"  But,"  said  Jesus,  "  some  one  touched  Me,  for  I  know  that 
power  hath  gone  out  from  Me,"  and  He  continued  to  wait  for 
some  one  to  speak.  Then  the  poor  woman  saw  that  she  could 
not  hide  herself,  and  trembling  from  head  to  foot,  pressed  for- 
ward through  the  people,  and  kneeling  down  on  the  dusty  road 
before  Him,  exclaimed — 

"  I  touched  Thee,  and  am  healed.  I  have  been  ill  twelve 
years,  and  have  suffered  much  from  many  doctors,  who  made 
me  no  bette-- .  but  rather  worse  ;  and  hearing  of  Thee,  I  thought 
that  if  I  might  but  touch  the  fringe  of  Thy  cloak,  I  should  be 
healed.  So  I  came  behind  Thee  and  touched  the  fringe,  and 
am  healed."  She  was  but  a  poor,  modest  woman,  afraid  to  tell 
Jesus  of  her  trouble,  and  she  remained  kneeling  before  Him. 
Could  He  be  angry  with  her? 

"  Daughter,"  He  said  gently,  "be  comforted,  thy  trust  hath 
made  thee  whole  ;  go  in  peace,  and  be  healed  of  thy  trouble  !  " 
And  the  woman  rose,  and  followed  Him  with  the  rest  of  the 
people,  as  He  turned  and  walked  on  again. 


NOT    DEAD,    BUT    SLEEPING.  1 47 

Jairus  had  been  standing  by  all  this  time,  sorry  for  the 
woman,  yet  afraid  of  the  delay,  because  it  might  make  them 
too  late  to  save  his  little  daughter's  hfe,  and  they  had  not 
gone  far  until  he  saw  one  of  his  house  servants  running  to 
meet  them,  and  pushing  through  the  crowd  the  servant  gave 
him  this  message  which  stabbed  him  to  the  heart — 

"  Do  not  trouble  the  Master  any  more.  Thy  daughter  is 
dead."  Witfi  a  face  of  grief,  Jairus  looked  to  Jesus,  who  had 
also  heard  the  message. 

"  Do  not  fear,"  Jesus  said.  "  Only  believe,  and  she  shall  be 
made  well."  The  people  heard  the  words,  and  wondered. 
Was  this  young  Carpenter  going  to  restore  his  little  daughter 
to  life  ?  When  they  reached  Jairus's  fine  house,  with  its  bright 
garden  round  it,  and  thick  green  trees  to  keep  it  cool,  they 
heard  the  doleful  sound  of  flutes  being  blown,  that  told  all 
who  passed  by,  that  the  Ruler's  little  daughter  was  dead.  The 
door  stood  wide  open,  and  the  house  was  already  full  of 
friends,  who  were  sitting  on  the  floor,  the  seats  having  been  all 
turned  upside  down,  the  men  with  clothes  torn,  the  women 
with  loosened  hair  and  dust  on  their  heads,  rocking  their 
bodies  to  and  fro,  weeping  and  mourning  with  the  mother, 
who  was  in  great  distress.  Jesus  was  displeased  with  this 
throng  of  people  and  the  noise  they  were  making,  and  as  He 
went  in  He  said  to  them — 

"  Why  do  you  weep  and  make  a  noise  ?  The  child  is  not 
dead,  but  sleepeth," — meaning  that  she  would  live  again,  for 
He  loved  to  call  death  "  sleep."  But  those  who  had  come 
to  hold  a  mourning,  laughed  mockingly  at  Jesus,  showing  by 
their  horrid  laughter  how  little  real  grief  they  felt.  Jesus  then 
told  Jairus  to  put  out  all  these  sham  mourners,  and  leave  only 
himself,  his  wife,  and  Peter,  James,  and  John  in  the  quiet 
house  with  Him ;  and  the  people  outside  were  most  curious 
to  know  what  was  going  to  happen.  The  child  was  lying  in 
her  own  little  shaded  room,  richly  furnished  with  coloured  rugs 
on  the  floor,  and  delicate  curtains  drawn  round  the  small  bed, 
where  she  lay  silent  and  still,  with  eyes  shut, — she  was  only 
twelve  years  old.     Taking  her  father  and  mother  with  Him, 


148  TWO    BLIND    BEGGARS. 

Jesus  went  into  the  little  room,  and  standing  by  her  bed, 
looked  at  the  httle  girl  as  she  lay  quiet  and  beautiful,  and 
taking  her  hand,  said — 

"  Little  maid,  I  say  to  thee.  Arise  !  "  And  her  spirit  returned, 
and  opening  her  eyes,  she  looked  at  them,  and  rose  up,  and  her 
mother  took  her  in  her  arms  and  kissed  her.  I  know  not  what 
the  little  girl  said  to  Jesus,  but  she  would  ask  what  had  been 
the  matter  with  her,  and  who  the  strangers  were,  and  what 
meant  the  voices  of  the  crowd  of  people  outside  the  house. 
It  is  likely  that  Jesus  and  His  disciples  would  partake  of  food 
in  Jairus's  house  ;  and  before  leaving,  Jesus  reminded  him  that 
they  should  also  give  the  little  girl  something  to  eat,  and  told 
them  earnestly  that  they  were  not  to  tell  the  people  what  He 
had  done,  as  He  did  not  wish  such  things  to  be  talked  about, 
and  he  went  away  to  walk  back  again  to  the  town.  But 
friends  who  had  seen  the  little  girl  lying,  and  had  mourned 
for  her  death,  and  who  saw  her  going  about  again,  told  others 
what  had  happened,  and  it  soon  became  known  and  talked 
about  in  the  villages. 

Thou  wilt  remember  that  this  httle  girl  owed  her  life  to 
Jesus,  and  that  she  would  love  Him  ever  after;  and  there  are 
many  little  girls  and  boys  who  have  got  true  and  kind  hearts 
from  Him,  and  who  must  never  cease  to  love  and  obey  Him 
also. 

TWO   BLIND   BEGGARS. 

CAPERNAUM,   AUTUMN,   A.D.    32. 

It  was  th^  afternoon  when  Jesus  returned  by  the  road  from 
the  Ruler's  house  into  Capernaum,  on  His  way  to  Peter's 
cottage  at  the  side  of  the  Lake,  and  He  was  followed  by  a 
crowd  of  people,  attracted  by  all  that  had  happened.  Now 
there  were  two  blind  beggars  sitting  begging  by  the  roadside, 
and  hearing  the  voices  and  sound  of  many  feet,  they  asked 
what  all  the  stir  was  about,  and  were  told  that  Jesus  was 
coming  back  from  Jairus's  house,  where  He  had  raised  his 
little  daughter  to  life.  "  If  He  can  do  that,  He  can  heal  us," 
they   thought,  for  they  had  heard  also  of  Him  heaUng  the 


WITH    STAFF    AND    WALLET.  1 49 

woman  on  His  way  out,  and  they  resolved  to  find  Jesus.  But 
how  were  they  to  do  so  in  such  a  crowd  ?  It  was  a  chance  not 
to  be  lost :  one  in  a  lifetime.  And  they  rose  to  their  feet,  and 
by  getting  into  the  crowd,  and  asking  questions,  they  found 
out  that  the  people  were  returning  to  the  town,  and  that  Jesus 
was  on  before,  and  as  they  knew  the  roads  well,  they  deter- 
mined to  follow  with  the  people  and  overtake  Him.  Walking 
in  the  middle  of  the  dusty  road,  holding  each  other  by  the  arm, 
that  they  might  not  be  separated  with  their  sticks  to  feel  the 
way,  jostled  on  every  side,  but  still  keeping  their  ground,  they 
tramped  stoutly  and  bravely  on,  shouting  with  loud,  rough 
voices  as  they  went — 

"  Thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  us  !  Thou  Son  of 
David,  have  mercy  on  us  !  "  But  no  answer  came,  and  they 
were  often  told  to  be  quiet,  that  Jesus  would  not  trouble  with 
beggars ;  but  they  who  chid  them  thus  had  never  been  blind, 
and  still  they  trudged  on,  knowing  Jesus  must  stop  somewhere. 
Now  "  David  "  was  the  name  of  a  great  king,  and  the  beggars 
had  heard  that  the  Christ  would  be  called  the  "  Son  of 
David,"  and  thought  Jesus  might  Hsten  sooner  if  they  thus 
praised  Him ;  but  Jesus  passed  through  the  town,  and  did 
not  stop  till  He  came  to  Peter's  house.  Feeling  their  way 
with  hands  and  sticks,  the  two  beggars  at  length  found  the 
door  of  the  house,  and  still  holding  by  each  other,  called 
lustily  in — 

"  Thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  us."  But  getting  no 
reply,  they  pressed  their  way  in,  until,  covered  with  yellow 
dust,  with  their  rags,  their  beggars'  wallets,  and  stout  beggars' 
staffs,  they  stood  before  Jesus,  opening  wide  their  poor  blank 
eyes  that  He  might  see  their  state.  He  had  heard  their 
cries. 

"  Do  you  beheve  that  I  can  heal  your  bUndness  ?  "  Jesus 
asked.     To  which  they  both  replied  at  once — 

"Yes,  Master!"  They  did  not  waste  words,  but  stood 
perfectly  still.  Going  to  them,  He  touched  their  eyes  with 
His  hand,  saying  as  He  did  so — 

"  According  as  you  have  trusted  Me,  so  let  it  be  done  to 


150  THE    BROW    OF   THE    HILL. 

you."  And  immediately  they  could  see,  and  what  they  saw 
was  the  dark  eyes  of  Jesus  looking  calmly  into  theirs,  perhaps 
the  first  face  they  had  ever  seen.  And  He  told  them  strictly 
not  to  tell  any  person  what  He  had  done,  for  He  did  not  wish 
the  people  to  follow  Him  because  of  His  wonders,  but  to  hear 
His  words.  But  the  men  could  not  keep  it  to  themselves. 
The  people  had  seen  them  blind  and  calling  upon  Jesus,  and 
now  they  could  see,  and  so  they  told  them  what  He  had  done 
for  them,  until  everybody  knew. 

In  the  afternoon,  as  Jesus  was  going  out  again,  some  persons 
brought  a  maniac  to  Him,  another  of  those  poor  mad  creatures, 
whom  the  people,  not  knowing  what  was  wrong  with  them,  said 
had  an  evil  spirit,  and  the  man  could  not  speak,  and  they 
begged  Jesus  to  heal  him,  and  He  did  so,  and  the  man's 
friends  went  away  exclaiming  that  they  had  never  seen  any- 
thing like  this  in  all  their  country  before.  And  some  spoke 
to  their  old  religious  Teachers  about  it,  saying  that  they  had 
never  heard  of  a  man  having  such  power  before,  to  which  the 
wicked  Pharisees  repHed  by  telling  the  people  that  the  power 
of  Jesus  did  not  come  from  Heaven,  repeating  their  old 
falsehood. 

"The  king  of  evil  spirits,"  they  said,  "giveth  Him  power 
to  cast  out  evil  spirits  " — intending  the  people  to  beheve  that 
Jesus  was  a  wicked  person  whose  power  came  from  the  spirit 
of  evil  within  Him  ;  and  many  people  beheved  this  wickedest 
of  falsehoods. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  how  these  blind  men  did  not  give 
up  followi^j  Jesus,  and  when  thou  art  doing  what  is  right,  let 
nothing  turn  thee  aside,  but  ever  press  forward,  trusting  in 
God,  who  telleth  thee  what  is  right  to  do. 

THE    BROW   OF   THE    HILL. 

NAZARETH,    AUTUMN,   A.D.    32. 

His  mother  had  asked  Jesus  to  come  home  and  rest,  and 
He  resolved  to  go  from  Capernaum,  where  He  had  been  so 
well  received,  and  visit  His  friends  at  Nazareth,  where  He 


THE    VALE    OF    NAZARETH.  151 

had  not  been  for  many  months,  and  teach  the  people  there. 
Starting  in  the  early  morning,  He  walked  again  with  His 
friends  round  the  beautiful  Western  shore  of  the  Lake,  striking 
up  through  the  wild,  deep  valley  of  Doves,  that  led  to  the  road 
over  the  hills  to  Nazareth,  and  as  they  went  through  the  fruit- 
ful country,  they  saw  the  pomegranates  and  apples  hanging 
red  upon  the  trees,  and  in  every  vineyard  the  people  were 
busy  plucking  the  purple  and  green  clusters  of  ripe  grapes,  and 
carrying  them  away  in  baskets,  to  have  the  sweet  juice  squeezed 
from  them,  for  it  was  now  the  end  of  Autumn,  the  time  of  the 
vintage  and  ripest  fruits.  It  was  the  afternoon  when  they 
descended  from  the  Northern  hills  into  the  open  valley  of 
Nazareth,  which  He  knew  so  well,  with  its  broad  terraced 
slopes  and  swelling  hills,  whose  shapes  were  so  familiar  to 
Him,  and  the  path  which  wound  along  the  hillside  up  to  the 
white  houses  at  the  top;  and  He  went  to  stay  at  His  mother's 
house  with  the  few  disciples  who  had  come  with  Him. 

When  Sabbath  morning  came  He  went  to  the  village  church. 
It  was  the  largest  building  in  the  place,  made  of  the  finest 
stone  that  could  be  got,  with  pillars  at  the  door,  and  a  climbing 
vine  with  its  leaves  and  grapes  and  open  flowers  carved  over 
it  for  ornament.  Inside  it  was  paved  with  white  stone,  and 
at  the  further  end  stood  the  familiar  silver  candlestick,  which 
was  lighted  only  upon  great  occasions,  and  there  hung  the 
mysterious  curtain  of  purple,  blue,  and  white,  behind  which 
was  the  box  that  held  the  rolls  of  the  Bible  books ;  and  there, 
also,  was  the  reader's  desk,  and  there,  the  highest  seat  where 
the  Pharisees  and  Teachers  sat,  and  behind  a  high  latticed 
screen,  was  the  place  where,  as  a  little  boy,  Jesus  had  first 
knelt  in  church  by  His  mother's  side. 

His  brothers  and  disciples  went  with  Him  to  church  on  this 
Sabbath,  His  mother  and  sisters  having  to  go  by  themselves 
by  a  back  way,  and  the  building  was  crowded,  for  the  villagers 
had  heard  of  His  teaching  and  wonders,  and  while  many 
shook  their  heads  wisely,  there  were  some  who  had  not  for- 
gotten His  gentle  hfe  among  them.  When  Jesus  came  in,  the 
people  were  not  surprised  to  see  the  young  Carpenter  go 


152  IS    NOT    THIS    THE    CARPENTER? 

forward  and  take  a  seat  among  the  chief  men  of  the  church, 
and  near  to  the  reader's  desk.  The  morning  service  of  sing- 
ing, reciting  eulogies,  creeds,  and  prayers,  with  responses  from 
the  people  went  on  as  usual,  until  the  time  came  for  the  read- 
ing and  teaching,  then  the  clerk  went  in  behind  the  purple 
curtain,  revealing  as  he  did  so,  the  little  lamp  which  always 
hung  lighted  there,  and  took  out  a  parchment  roll  from  the 
box,  and  coming  down  the  steps  he  handed  it  to  Jesus,  which 
was  an  invitation  to  read  the  portion  for  that  day.  Jesus  rose, 
and  going  up  the  steps  to  the  reader's  desk,  which  was  about 
the  middle  of  the  church,  unrolled  the  parchment  book  called 
Isaiah,  and  read  a  short  portion,  containing  the  words — 

"  The  Spirit  of  God  is  upon  Me, 

"  Because  He  hath  appointed  Me  to  bring  good  tidings  to 
the  poor : 

"He  hath  sent  Me  to  tell  of  freedom  to  the  prisoners, 

"  And  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind ; 

"  To  heal  them  that  are  bruised, 

"  And  to  proclaim  the  welcome  year  of  the  Lord." 

Rolling  up  the  parchment,  He  gave  it  back  to  the  clerk, 
and  sat  down,  at  which  all  the  people  stood  up,  as  was  the 
custom,  and  remained  standing  while  He  spoke. 

"To-day,"  Jesus  began,  "these  words  which  I  have  read 
have  come  true  in  your  hearing  " — meaning  that  He  was  such 
a  Teacher  as  Isaiah  wrote  of  seven  hundred  years  before,  in 
these  verses ;  and  He  went  on  to  speak  as  He  had  done  in 
the  other  churches  in  Galilee,  while  the  congregation  wondered 
at  His  wor^?  and  manner,  for  He  spoke  not  like  their  other 
religious  Teachers,  who  repeated  the  sayings  of  other  men,  but 
He  spoke  with  authority,  as  though  He  had  received  a  mes- 
sage from  God  :  and  when  He  ended,  a  murmur  of  talking 
arose  in  the  church.  The  people  could  scarcely  beheve  their 
ears,  and  began  to  ask  each  other — 

"Is  not' this  The  Carpenter,  the  son  of  Joseph?  Is  not 
His  mother  called  Mary?  His  brothers,  James,  Joseph, 
Simon,  and  Judas,  and  His  sisters ;  do  they  not  all  live  here 
with  us  ?     What  is  the  meaning  of  the  wisdom  that  is  given  to 


DANGER    AMONG    FRIENDS.  1 53 

this  Man,  and  the  wonders  which  He  doeth  ?  How  hath  He 
these  powers?"  They  were  offended  that  Jesus,  the  Carpenter 
of  Nazareth,  should  return  to  their  village  to  speak  to  them  as 
He  had  done.  He  heard  what  they  were  saying,  and  knew 
that  the  people  did  not  believe  Him,  because  they  had  known 
Him  before,  and  when  their  voices  grew  quieter,  He  began  to 
speak  again — 

"  No  doubt,"  He  said,  "  you  will  ask  Me  to  do  the  wonders 
here  which  you  have  heard  of  Me  doing  in  Capernaum  ;  but  I 
tell  you,  no  prophet  is  honoured  in  his  own  country."  Now, 
they  all  expected  Him  to  work  some  wonder  before  them,  and 
show  off  His  power ;  but  He  would  not  do  so,  and  went  on 
teaching,  and  this  the  people  took  as  a  rebuke,  and  were 
annoyed.  He  told  them  about  the  prophet  Elijah,  written  of 
in  the  Bible,  who  came  only  to  a  widow  of  Sarepta,  and  gave 
her  food  when  all  the  people  were  starving ;  and  of  Elisha, 
another  prophet,  who,  although  there  were  many  lepers  in  the 
country,  healed  only  Naaman,  the  Syrian ;  neither  of  which 
persons  whom  the  prophets  helped  were  Jews. 

The  people,  who  were  anxious  to  find  fault,  thought  Jesus 
meant  that  strangers  were  to  be  preferred  before  them,  and 
flew  into  a  passion  that  He  should  speak  so  to  them,  and 
crowding  round  the  reader's  raised  desk,  they  caught  His 
white  tunic  and  pulled  Him  down  from  the  seat,  and  pushed 
Him  out  of  the  church,  and  even  out  of  the  village.  Incited, 
probably  by  His  enemies  the  Lawyers  and  Pharisees,  the 
anger  of  the  people  increased  with  the  noise  and  hustling  ;  and 
they  resolved  to  punish  Jesus,  or  even  kill  Him,  and  shouting, 
^'  To  the  hill !  to  the  hill  !  "  and  keeping  hold  of  Him,  they 
led  Him  round  by  the  back  of  the  village,  intending  to  push 
Him  over  a  steep  chff  in  the  limestone  hill  behind.  He  did 
not  resist  them  ;  but  when  they  had  led  Him  up  the  hill,  the 
people  seemed  to  realize  what  they  were  doing.  What  had  He 
done  to  deserve  death?  Something  in  His  calm  looks  made 
them  afraid  to  go  on,  and  they  took  their  hands  off  Him,  and 
none  was  found  to  push  Him  over  the  cliff.  Turning  away 
from   those  who  had   held   Him,  Jesus   passed   through  the 


154  THE    FIG    TREE    IN    THE    VINEYARD. 

people  and  went  away,  no  one  stopping  Him,  away  down  the 
hillside,  away  down  the  old  path  into  the  broad  valley,  away 
from  Nazareth,  the  village  of  His  boyhood,  never  to  return. 

A  mob  is  always  cowardly,  and  Mary's  heart  was  pierced 
with  pain  when  she  saw  the  people  seizing  Jesus,  hundreds 
against  One.  Where  were  His  friends?  where  His  disciples? 
As  the  people  went  away  to  their  homes,  they  must  have  felt 
that,  in  a  fit  of  passion,  they  had  disgraced  their  village,  and 
banished  the  gentlest  Life  they  had  ever  known.  And  as 
Jesus  went  away,  contrasting  perhaps,  the  kindness  of  the 
people  of  Cana,  of  Capernaum,  of  Sychar,  with  the  violence  of 
Nazareth,  His  heart  was  filled  with  sorrow  for  His  old  com- 
panions. Why  would  they  not  believe  Him  ?  Even  some  of 
His  own  younger  brothers  doubted  Him. 

"A  prophet,"  He  said,  "is  never  without  honour,  except- 
ing when  he  is  in  his  own  country,  among  his  own  relations, 
and  in  his  own  house."  He  would  gladly  have  healed  the 
people,  as  He  had  done  elsewhere,  but  they  did  not  believe  in 
Him  ;  and  except  touching  a  few  sick  persons.  He  did  no 
wonders  there.  We  read  that  afterwards  His  mother  and 
brothers  came  to  Him  at  Capernaum.  Perhaps  they,  too, 
had  to  leave  the  village  where  Mary  had  lived  for  over  forty 
years. 

Remember  thou  the  folly  and  cruelty  of  the  sudden  anger 
which  led  these  men  of  Nazareth  to  seek  to  kill  their  old  Play- 
fellow and  their  best  Friend. 

THE   FIG   TREE    IN    THE   VINEYARD. 

GALILEAN  VILLAGE,  AUTUMN,  A.D.   32. 

Leaving  Nazareth,  from  which  He  had  been  banished  by 
His  old  school-companions,  Jesus  went  with  His  disciples 
down  into  the  lower  parts  of  Galilee,  and  began  a  third 
journey  through  all  the  villages,  teaching  and  healing.  The 
harvest  was  over  and  the  fields  were  bare,  some  of  them 
ploughed,  harrowed,  and  sown,  and  many  of  the  vines  had 


THE    HARVEST    IS    PLENTIFUL.  1 55 

been  stripped  of  their  grapes,  and  the  people,  being  free 
from  their  work,  followed  Him  in  crowds  larger  than  ever. 
As  He  looked  at  them  and  thought  of  their  false  religious 
Teachers,  He  was  grieved,  and  compared  them  to  sheep 
without  shepherds,  and  turning  to  His  disciples,  who  were 
soon  to  take  up  the  task  of  teaching,  which  had  grown  so 
great.  He  said — 

'*  The  harvest  is  plentiful,  but  the  workers  are  few.  Pray 
to  God,  therefore,  that  He  may  send  out  workers  into  the 
hai-vest  fields."  With  His  single  voice  Jesus  had  roused 
Galilee,  and  He  wished  the  people  taught  while  they  were 
willing  to  listen.  For  almost  a  year  His  twelve  disciples  had 
been  going  about  with  Him,  learning  how  to  teach,  and  soon 
they  were  to  go  out  and  teach  also,  the  first  workers  to  be 
sent  into  the  harvest  field. 

At  this  time  a  piece  of  news  was  in  everybody's  mind. 
Some  men  from  Galilee,  who  had  gone  to  the  Festival  of 
Bowers  at  Jerusalem  in  October,  had  joined  in  a  riot  against 
the  Romans,  and  Pilate  the  Roman  governor,  had  sent 
soldiers  among  them,  who  beat  them  with  clubs,  killing  some 
of  them,  and  some  who  fled  into  the  Temple  for  safety,  had 
been  followed  and  struck  down  where  they  stood  preparing 
sacrifices,  so  that  they  bled  and  died ;  and  the  people  were 
indignant  at  this  outrage  in  their  Great  Temple.  Wishing 
to  know  what  Jesus  thought  of  it,  some  one  interrupted 
His  teaching  to  tell  Him  what  the  Roman  soldiers  had 
done.  It  was  commonly  beheved  that  the  men  must  have 
been  wicked,  to  have  been  thus  killed  while  worshipping ; 
but  His  answer  was  unexpected — 

"  You  think  that  these  men  of  Galilee  were  more  wicked 
than  other  men  because  they  were  so  killed.  I  tell  you  no  ! 
but  unless  you  repent  of  your  wickedness  you  shall  all 
perish  in  like  manner."  To  stop  their  superstitious  beliefs. 
He  also  spoke  of  a  great  stone  tower  which  was  then  being 
built  at  Siloam  by  men  of  Judaea,  to  lead  water  into  Jeru- 
salem, which  had  fallen,  killing  eighteen  men,  and  which 
accident  many  people  believed  was  the  act  of  God,  because 


156  THE    TIME    OF    RIPE    FIGS. 

Temple  money  had  been  taken  by  King  Herod  to  pay  for 
the  work.  But  Jesus  told  them  that  the  men  who  were  killed 
were  not  more  wicked  than  they  who  were  listening  to  Him, 
and  that  unless  they  became  good  they  would  be  likewise 
killed.  He  did  not  mean  that  they  would  all  be  slain  in 
the  Temple,  or  by  a  falHng  tower,  but  He  did  mean  to 
warn  them  to  become  good.  He  then  told  them  a  story  with 
a  meaning,  about  a  fig  tree  that  grew  in  a  garden  of  vines, 
to  show  the  patience  of  God  with  wicked  people,  and  they 
listened  all  the  more  earnestly  because  it  was  then  the  time 
of  year  when  the  great  crop  of  greenish-yellow  figs  was  ripe, 
and  being  shaken  from  the  trees. 

"A  man  planted  a  fig  tree  in  his  vineyard,"  He  said,  "and 
every  year  when  the  Autumn  came  he  looked  for  figs,  but  it 
had  none.  And  he  said  to  his  gardener,  '  For  three  years  I 
have  come  looking  for  fruit  on  this  fig  tree,  and  found  none. 
Cut  it  down  ;  why  should  it  cumber  the  ground  any  longer? '  " 
Now  a  fig  tree  is  the  most  fruitful  of  all  trees,  having,  in  some 
places,  three  crops  of  figs  every  year,  and  should  seldom  be 
without  some  fruit  among  its  green  leaves.  But  the  gardener 
replied — 

"  Leave  it  for  one  year  more,  and  I  will  dig  round  it  and 
manure  it,  and  if  it  hath  fruit,  all  will  be  well ;  but  if  not, 
then  cut  it  down."  And  so  the  tree  was  spared.  The  story 
meant  this.  The  world  is  the  garden,  God  is  the  Master,  the 
fig  tree  is  some  careless  one,  and  Jesus  is  the  Gardener,  who 
tries  in  many  ways  to  make  people  good ;  and  with  this  little 
story  He  ended  His  teaching  at  that  village. 

Remember,  then,  the  fig  tree  which  had  no  fruit,  and  the 
patience  of  the  Gardener,  and  let  it  not  be  said  of  thee  that 
thou  hast  no  kind  deeds,  no  loving  words,  no  gentle  thoughts 
to  show  as  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  thee. 

And  as  the  path  of  duty  is  made  plain, 

May  grace  be  given,  that  thou  may  walk  therein. 


THE    DISCIPLES    SENT    TO    TEACFI.  1 57 

THE   DISCIPLES    SENT   TO   TEACH. 

GALILEE,   WINTER,   A.D,    32. 

Jesus  had  now  been  a  Teacher  for  nearly  two  years,  and  had 
roused  and  prepared  GaUlee,  till  the  crowds  of  people  were  so 
large  that  He  felt  it  was  time  His  disciples  helped  Him.  He 
had  often  addressed  His  teaching  specially  to  His  disciples, 
He  had  invited  their  questions  and  explained  their  difficulties 
and  encouraged  them  to  bring  their  minds  up  to  His  level ; 
but  chiefly  by  living  with  them,  and  showing  them  the  best 
Example  that  the  world  has  ever  seen,  did  He  prepare  them, 
through  love  for  Him,  to  teach  and  to  suffer  for  His  sake. 
For  eighteen  months,  and  some  of  them  for  longer,  the  dis- 
ciples had  been  receiving  the  truth  from  Him,  and  now  they 
were  to  give  it  out  to  others.  Most  of  them  were  plain  un- 
learned fishermen,  who  had  read  few  books,  learned  no  Greek 
classics  or  foreign  languages,  had  not  even  closely  studied  the 
Bible  when  with  Jesus  ;  how  could  they  teach?  But  Teachers 
of  the  truth,  are  not  made  by  studying  books  or  attending 
classes.  One  thing  alone  is  necessary,  the  Spirit  of  God  in 
them,  and  that,  these  fishermen  had  ;  the  Spirit  which  was  in 
Jesus,  and  which  would  teach  and  guide  them. 

To  Jesus,  it  was  an  important  time.  He  was  about  to 
commit  His  teaching  to  other  men,  who  would  speak  with  His 
authority ;  and  gathering  His  disciples  round  Him,  He  spoke 
to  them  earnestly  for  a  long  time,  telling  them  much  that  was 
new,  and  reminding  them  of  things  which  He  had  said  before. 
A  group  of  twelve  young  men,  with  bowed  heads  and  grave 
faces,  they  stood  around  Him  leaning  on  their  long  country- 
men's sticks,  and  listening  earnestly,  while  He  addressed  them 
in  some  place  apart,  most  likely  seeking  His  favourite  solitude 
among  the  hills.  He  had  done  much  for  them,  and  now  they 
were  to  try  what  they  could  do  for  Him,  their  young  Country- 
man and  Master ;  Peter,  James,  John,  Andrew,  Thomas, 
Philip,  Bartholomew,  James  the  Less,  Jude,  Matthew,  Simon, 
and  Judas  were  their  names.     He  told  them  that  they  would 


158  HEAVEN    IS    NEAR. 

have  power  to  heal  sick  persons  and  maniacs  whom  the  people 
thought  had  evil  spirits,  and  that  they  were  to  teach  mainly 
in  Galilee. 

"  Go  out  two  by  two,"  He  said,  "  but  do  not  go  to  strange 
countries,  nor  to  Samaria,  but  to  your  countrymen  the  Israel- 
ites, and  say,  '  The  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  near!  '  Heal  the 
sick,  raise  the  dead  :  you  have  received  freely,  give  freely. 
Take  neither  gold,  silver,  nor  brass  money  in  your  purses,  nor 
bread  in  your  bags,  nor  two  coats,  nor  a  stick,  nor  shoes,  but 
only  sandals  :  for  the  worker  deserveth  his  food.  When  you 
go  into  a  town  or  village,  find  out  who  is  a  worthy  person  in 
that  village,  and  stay  with  him,  and  when  you  go  into  a  house, 
say,  '■  Peace  be  to  this  house,'  and  if  it  be  worthy  of  it,  peace 
shall  be  upon  the  house,  but  if  it  be  unworthy,  your  peace 
shall  return  to  you.  If  any  one  shall  not  receive  you,  nor 
hear  you  speak,  when  you  go  out  of  that  house  or  town,  shake 
off  the  dust  from  your  feet  as  a  sign  against  it ;  and  it  shall  be 
better  for  Sodom  than  for  that  town."  The  disciples  were 
thus  at  first  to  deliver  only  one  simple  message,  the  message 
that  John  and  Jesus  had  spread,  "  The  Kingdom  of  Heaven 
is  near  ! " 

"  I  send  you  out,"  Jesus  continued,  "  like  sheep  among 
wolves ;  be  harmless  as  doves,  and  wise  as  serpents  :  but 
beware  of  men,  for  they  will  bring  you  before  courts  and 
judges,  and  scourge  you  in  churches,  yes,  before  kings  will 
you  be  brought  for  My  sake.  But,  be  not  anxious  about  what 
you  shall  then  say.  The  Spirit  of  God  will  tell  you  in  that 
very  hour .r hat  to  say;  for  it  is  not  you  who  speak,  but  the 
Spirit  of  God  that  speaketh  in  you.  Brother  shall  give  up  his 
brother,  and  you  shall  be  hated  for  My  sake,  but  whoever 
endureth  to  the  end  shall  be  saved.  When  they  punish  you 
in  one  town,  fly  to  another,  for  you  shall  not  have  gone  through 
all  the  towns  of  Israel,  till  I  come  again. 

"A  disciple  is  not  better  than  his  teacher.  It  is  enough 
if  he  be  the  same  as  his  teacher.  If  they  have  called  Me 
*  Spirit  of  Evil,'  much  more  shall  they  call  you  so  ;  but  do  not 
fear  them,  for  there  is  nothing  hid  that  shall  not  be  made 


A    CUP    OF    COLD    WATER.  1 59 

known.  What  I  have  told  you  in  the  dark,  tell  it  in  the  light, 
and  what  you  have  heard  in  private,  speak  upon  the  housetop, 
and  do  not  be  afraid  of  them  which  can  kill  the  body  but 
cannot  touch  the  spirit ;  but  rather  fear  God,  who  can  kill 
both  body  and  spirit.  Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a 
farthing,  yet  not  one  of  them  is  forgotten  by  God  ?  Fear  not ! 
Ye  are  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows.  Every  one  who 
saith  before  men  that  he  beheveth  in  Me,  him  shall  I  acknowl- 
edge before  God  and  His  angels ;  but  whoever  denieth  Me 
before  men,  him  will  I  deny."  This  then  was  the  simple  test 
by  which  the  disciples  were  to  know  who  were  for  Jesus  and 
who  against  Him.  If  people  were  for  Jesus  they  would  say 
so.  But  He  did  not  wish  them  to  go  out  to  teach  thinking 
that  everything  would  be  easy  and  pleasant,  for  that  would 
end  in  disappointment  and  distrust.  That  they  might  know 
the  hardships  that  were  before  them.  He  added — 

"  Do  not  think  that  I  came  to  bring  peace  to  the  world,  but 
rather  divisions.  I  came  to  make  differences  between  a  man 
and  his  nearest  friends,  and  his  enemies  shall  be  in  his  own 
house ;  but  whoever  loveth  father,  mother,  son  or  daughter, 
more  than  Me,  is  not  worthy  of  Me.  He  that  findeth  his  life 
shall  lose  it ;  but  he  that  loseth  his  life  for  My  sake,  shall 
find  it.  Whoever  receiveth  you,  receiveth  Me,  and  whoever 
receiveth  Me,  receiveth  God.  Whoever  receiveth  a  good  man, 
in  the  name  of  a  good  man,  shall  receive  a  good  man's  reward. 
And  whoever  giveth  if  it  be  only  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  one  of 
My  little  ones,  in  the  name  of  a  disciple,  shall  not  lose  his 
reward."  And  with  these  words  Jesus  ended  His  long  address 
of  warning,  instruction,  promises,  much  of  which  thou  wilt 
not  understand,  and  some  of  which  I  cannot  explain  to  thee, 
for  Jesus  said  things  which  cannot  rightly  be  explained  now. 
In  the  presence  of  the  Pharisees  and  a  crowd  of  people,  He 
had  warned  His  disciples  before,  that  in  following  Him  they 
would  set  their  friends  against  them,  and  would  even  be 
punished,  and  He  warned  them  again,  before  they  took  the 
grave  step  of  going  to  teach  up  and  down  Galilee  in  His  name, 
but  not  one  of  them  wavered,  all  were  ready  to  go.     They 


l6o  THE    PRINCESS    SALOME's    DANCE. 

were  to  go  in  twos  ;  further  on  they  would  go  out  singly,  but 
not  yet ;  and  bidding  them  farewell,  He  left  them  to  choose 
the  companions  whom  they  would  go  with,  and  went  away  by 
Himself,  to  teach  also. 

Remember,  then,  that  as  the  disciples  were  guided  and 
taught  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  so  wilt  thou  be  guided  as  a 
little  follower  of  Jesus,  not  in  teaching  crowds  of  people,  but 
in  doing  thy  small  duty  at  home  in  kind  and  loving  services 
to  all  about  thee. 

THE   PRINCESS   SALOME'S  DANCE. 

CASTLE    MACH.€;RUS,    SPRING,   A.D,    23- 

John  the  Baptist  was  still  a  prisoner  in  the  Black  Castle  of 
King  Antipas.  From  his  prison  window  he  could  see  cliffs  of 
red  and  black  rock  deep  down,  with  pathless  clefts  and  gorges, 
some  filled  with  drifting  sand,  some  with  tangled  undergrowth 
and  tall  trees,  and  far  away  were  the  lifeless  waters  of  the 
Dead  Sea,  where  no  ships  ever  sailed.  At  times  he  heard 
shouts  in  the  town  below,  when  the  king  came,  and  there 
were  revels  and  feasting  in  the  palace,  painful  sounds  to  the 
man  who  ate  few  meats,  and  never  tasted  wine,  and  avoided 
company.  Did  he  know  that  his  life  was  swaying  in  the  balance 
of  this  self-indulgent  king?  Queen  Herodias  hated  him,  and 
wished  him  dead  for  speaking  against  her  marriage,  and  now 
with  smiles,  and  now  in  anger,  she  besought  the  king  to  have 
him  killed ;  but  he  feared  the  people,  and  respected  John, 
and  in  his  better  moods  the  king  had  him  brought  down  from 
his  cheerle^  ;  prison  to  a  comfortable  lighted  hall,  where,  stand- 
ing in  his  rough  hair-cloth  coat  and  belt  of  an  animal's  skin, 
with  a  feeling  of  awe,  the  king  heard  him  speak  of  Heaven, 
and  a  world  to  come.  His  fearless  words  perplexed  the  king, 
but  that  was  all,  and  he  kept  John  safe  from  harm,  and  let  his 
friends  see  him,  yet  he  would  not  set  him  free,  and  so  month 
after  month  passed,  until  more  than  a  year  had  gone  slowly  by 
since  John  was  first  imprisoned. 

Spring  had  come  again,  bringing  the  king's  birthday  and  a 
holiday  for  the  people,  and  King  Antipas  invited  his  lords  and 


THE    king's    birthday.  i6i 

officers  to  a  birthday  supper  in  his  palace  at  Machaerus.  They 
came  in  their  best  robes  of  crimson  and  white  and  blue,  their 
sword  handles  flashing  with  gold  and  jewels,  to  recline  on  soft 
silken  sofas  with  the  king  at  the  low  tables  in  the  banqueting 
hall,  the  roof  of  which  was  covered  with  gold,  the  floor  being 
of  coloured  marbles  set  in  rare  patterns  and  smoothly  pol- 
ished. Black  slaves  held  aloft  lights,  while  others  served 
choice  meats  on  gold  and  silver  dishes,  followed  by  ripe  fruits, 
purple  grapes,  ruddy  apples,  soft  peaches  from  the  king's 
gardens,  and  bare-footed  servants  filled  the  golden  cups  of  the 
guests  with  red  wine  as  fast  as  they  were  emptied.  Again 
and  again  they  drank  the  king's  health,  and  the  queen's 
health,  and  wished  them  long  life,  till  the  king  and  his  lords 
had  drunk  deeply. 

After  feasting  came  music  from  the  king's  musicians,  who 
with  psaltery,  harp,  pipe,  castanets,  cymbal,  viol,  flute  and 
drum  played  and  sung  the  king's  praises.  Then  a  space  was 
cleared  on  the  smooth  marble  floor,  and  dancing-girls  in  gay 
dresses,  with  tinkling  bells  at  wrist  and  ankle,  waving  thin 
coloured  veils  in  the  air,  floated  over  the  polished  floor,  and 
greatly  pleased  the  guests.  But  it  was  usual  to  give  the  king 
a  pleasant  surprise  on  his  birthday,  and  when  he  called  for 
more  dancing,  suddenly  a  beautiful,  richly  dressed  girl  of 
high  birth  appeared,  who  smiled  to  the  king,  and  he  laughed, 
for  he  knew  the  lovely  Princess  Salome,  the  queen's  only 
child,  who  had  come  herself  to  dance  before  him  and  his 
drunken  lords.  The  music  played  again,  and  with  sparkling 
eyes,  her  hair  floating  loose  on  her  shoulders,  her  cheeks 
blushing  to  have  so  many  men  looking  at  her,  she  glided 
hither  and  thither  over  the  shining  floor,  spinning  round  on 
tiptoe,  waving  her  soft  arms  over  her  head  and  swaying  her 
body  to  and  fro  in  graceful  gestures,  as  she  performed  the 
dance  her  nfother  had  taught  her.  The  lords  thought  it  was 
a  lovely  sight,  and  the  king  was  delighted  that  she  should  do 
this  strange,  this  degrading  thing,  to  please  him.  As,  with 
movements  still  finer  and  steps  yet  more  difficult,  she  con- 
tinued to  flit  before  them,  they  thought  that  she  was  the  most 


1 62  A  fool's  oath. 

charming  of  dancers  ;  and  when  all  out  of  breath,  she  stopped, 
and  running  forward,  knelt  down  blushing  before  the  king, 
to  receive  his  praises,  he  exclaimed  in  the  highest  good 
humour — 

"  Ask  anything  of  me,  and  I  will  give  it  thee  !  "  Confirming 
what  he  said  with  a  fool's  oath,  and  adding,  "  I  will  give  thee 
whatever  thou  dost  ask,  even  to  the  half  of  my  kingdom." 
The  lords  laughed ;  the  princess  was  young,  but  she  was 
clever,  and  telling  the  king  that  she  wished  to  ask  her  mother 
what  she  should  have,  she  tripped  away  out  of  the  hall. 
Herodias,  the  queen,  knew  from  the  applause,  that  her  sur- 
prise had  pleased  the  king ;  perhaps  through  a  chink  of  the 
door  she  had  watched  the  princess  dancing,  and  when  she 
heard  the  king's  promise  and  his  oath,  a  look  of  cruel  triumph 
came  into  her  face  as  she  thought  of  the  lonely  prisoner  in  the 
castle.  Flushed  and  breathless  with  dancing,  Salome  came  to 
her  mother. 

"  What  shall  I  ask?  "  she  cried. 

"Ask  for  the  head  of  John  the  Baptist,"  was  the  eager 
reply  that  chilled  the  girl's  heart  with  horror.  Visions  of 
diamonds,  pearls,  horses,  dresses,  all  that  she  loved,  vanished 
at  once.  Was  this  what  she  had  danced  for  ?  A  bleeding  head  ? 
She  could  not  carry  it !  it  would  soil  her  pretty  dress  !  "  Get 
it  in  one  of  the  large  gold  dishes  from  the  table,"  her  mother 
replied  with  flashing  eyes,  as  she  bade  her  begone  at  once. 
Salome  must  also  have  hated  John,  for  she  went.  But  she 
was  not  the  bright  smiling  girl  who  left  the  banqueting  hall, 
when,  pak^  and  trembling,  she  returned  and  knelt  again  at  the 
king's  feet  with  downcast  eyes ;  but  King  Antipas  was  very 
happy,  and  thinking  she  was  only  overcome  with  modesty,  he 
asked  her  what  she  had  chosen,  and  all  the  lords  bent  forward 
to  hear  what  she  would  say. 

"I  will  that  thou  givest  me  in  a  charger  the  head  of  John 
the  Baptist^  Even  the  drunken  lords  were  filled  with  horror 
when  they  heard  the  low  gentle  voice  of  a  woman  asking  such 
a  thing.  Was  the  banquet  to  be  turned  into  an  execution? 
"  The  queen  hath  done  this,"  they  whispered  to  each  other. 


DEATH    OF   JOHN    THE    BAPTIST.  1 63 

Would  the  king  yield  or  refuse?  He  sat  silent,  astonished, 
confused,  frowning  under  his  glittering  crown,  for  he 
knew  it  was  the  work  of  Herodias.  What  should  he  do? 
Could  he  break  his  promise  ?  He  called  up  his  counsellors, 
and  whispered  with  them,  and  concluded  that  having  sworn 
an  oath  before  all  his  lords,  he  must  keep  it.  Had  he  been  a 
good  man  however,  he  would  have  told  the  girl  that  his 
promise  meant  gold,  jewels,  land,  not  men's  lives,  and  sent 
her  out  of  his  presence. 

Turning  to  his  soldiers,  he  ordered  one  of  them  to  take  a 
gold  dish  and  go  up  to  the  dungeon  in  the  castle,  and  bring 
John's  head,  and  give  it  to  this  girl.  The  king  sat  silent  with 
Salome  crouching  before  him ;  and  there  was  no  laughter 
among  the  lords,  as  the  slow  minutes  passed  during  which 
the  soldier  was  away.  Soon  his  footsteps  were  heard  returning, 
and  all  gazed  at  him  as  he  advanced  to  the  fair  kneeling 
princess  and  put  the  gold  dish  into  her  hands,  with  which  she 
rose,  sick,  giddy,  reeling,  and  fled  from  the  hall  to  fling  it  at 
her  mother's  feet. 

Think  of  the  act  and  the  reward  !  A  few  light  steps,  a  few 
smiles,  a  few  gestures  of  a  dancing-girl,  rewarded  by  the  head, 
the  life,  of  the  greatest  man  that  ever  lived  !  John  was  thirty- 
two  when  he  was  killed  in  the  dungeon,  for  no  crime,  for  no 
reason,  only  to  keep  a  king's  drunken  promise  to  a  dancing- 
girl  !  There  was  no  more  feasting,  no  more  dancing.  Black- 
ness seemed  to  fall  on  the  gilded  hall,  and  the  guests  went 
away,  leaving  the  king  to  his  own  thoughts,  which  were  bitter 
enough,  for  he  never  forgot  that  birthday  feast.  And  often 
afterwards,  when  he  heard  wonderful  stories  of  Jesus  in  differ- 
ent places,  he  thought  that  John  had  come  alive  again  and 
would  punish  him.  And  did  the  princess  ever  forget  the  night 
when  she  danced  before  these  lords  ? 

Do  thou  remember,  then,  never  to  make  rash  promises,  and 
that  if  thou  shouldst  make  a  wicked  promise,  not  to  be  afraid 
to  say  that  it  was  wrong,  and  to  refuse  to  keep  it,  come  what 
may. 


164  THE    RETURN    OF   THE    DISaPLES. 

THE   RETURN   OF   THE   DISCIPLES. 

GALILEE,    SPRING,   A.D.    33. 

It  was  in  the  Springtime  of  the  year,  when  the  vales  of 
GaHlee  were  covered  with  fresh  green  grass,  and  wildflowers 
coloured  field  and  wood,  when  the  lark  and  the  blackbird  were 
building  their  nests  under  the  leafy  shadows  of  tree  and  hedge, 
that  in  the  gilded  palace  of  King  Antipas  the  tragedy  of  John 
the  Baptist's  death  was  played  out,  amid  lights,  drinking, 
dancing.  Grieve  for  him  !  True  child  of  the  desert  and 
mountain  !  fearless,  untamable,  he  who  told  the  crowds  to  leave 
him  and  follow  his  greater  Friend  Jesus ;  he  who  for  many 
long  months  had  dreamed  of  liberty  as  he  watched  the  crimson 
clouds  of  dawn  and  of  sunset  through  his  prison  bars,  only 
to  have  his  head  given  at  last  as  a  prize  to  a  dancing-girl.  His 
friends  wished  to  bury  him.  Some  say  that  the  cruel  queen 
Herodias  had  his  body  thrown  from  the  walls  of  the  Black 
Castle,  others  that  his  friends  begged  his  body ;  but  they  got 
it  and  buried  it  sorrowfully,  and  went  and  told  Jesus.  With 
what  tears  would  Jesus  hear  of  His  cousin's  death,  ominous 
indeed  of  what  would  happen  to  Himself ! 

In  six  pairs  the  disciples  went  about  from  village  to  village 
of  Galilee,  doing  as  Jesus  had  bade  them,  healing  and  teach- 
ing in  His  name,  and  saying,  "  The  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is 
near  !  "  The  energy  of  these  twelve  young  men  roused  in  the 
people  an  increasing  interest  in  Jesus,  and  a  keen  expectation 
of  the  coming  of  that  glorious  Kingdom  which  every  Jew  longed 
for,  till  everybody  talked  of  Him.  And  their  words  were 
carried  through  the  brazen  doors  of  the  king's  palace,  and 
found  there  a  man  with  a  guilty  conscience.  Some  one  told 
King  Antipas  that  John  the  Baptist  had  risen  from  the  dead, 
some  said  that  Jesus  was  the  old  prophet  Elijah  come  back  to 
the  worldj  and  all  seemed  certain  that  Jesus  was  some  great 
prophet  come  alive  again.  But  the  king  believed  He  was  John 
the  Baptist  come  to  rouse  the  people  against  him  with  greater 
power  than  before,  for  John  used  not  to  work  wonders  as  Jesus 
now  did,  and  the  king  asked  his  lords — 


THEIR    SUCCESS.  I65 

"John  I  killed,  but  who  is  this  about  whom  I  hear?  It  is 
John  risen  from  the  dead,  who  doeth  these  wonders  !  "  And 
the  king  was  anxious  to  see  Jesus,  to  make  sure  with  his  own 
eyes.  But  although  he  invited,  and  then  ordered  Jesus  to  come 
to  him.  He  would  not  come.  His  teaching  was  for  the  poor, 
not  for  kings — not  for  the  murderer  of  His  cousin  John. 

It  is  not  known  how  long  the  disciples  were  out  teaching ; 
perhaps  for  weeks,  perhaps  months,  but  Jesus  had  fixed  a  time 
when  they  were  to  meet  Him  again  on  the  Western  side  of  the 
Lake  of  Gennesaret,  and  thither  they  came,  to  tell  Him,  like 
children,  of  all  they  had  done,  and  of  their  astonishment  at 
their  power.  He  heard  them,  and  saw  that  they  needed  rest 
and  quiet.  But  they  had  brought  many  people  with  them,  for 
they  believed  that  the  people  would  soon  make  Jesus  King  of 
that  Kingdom  of  Heaven  which  they  had  proclaimed,  for,  as 
thou  knowest,  the  disciples  had  been  taught  by  their  old 
Teachers  to  believe  that  when  the  Christ  came  He  would  be  the 
King,  and  would  banish  all  their  enemies,  and  live  in  a  splendid 
palace  at  Jerusalem,  ruling  the  world.  But  this  was  a  great 
mistake,  and  soon  Jesus  would  tell  them  so.  The  people  came 
day  after  day  in  such  numbers  that  the  disciples  could  not  get 
time  to  rest  or  eat,  and  they  became  so  roused  and  excited 
with  their  success  that  Jesus  saw  they  must  be  taken  away 
from  these  crowds,  and  one  day  He  said — 

"  Come  away  with  Me  alone  into  a  lonely  place  to  rest  for 
a  while."  And  He  ordered  them  to  get  ready  the  boat.  Most 
likely  they  did  not  wish  to  go,  but  He  knew  that  the  calm  and 
silence  of  the  hills  alone  with  Him,  was  what  the  disciples 
needed  to  restore  their  minds.  Besides,  King  Antipas  wished 
to  take  Jesus  a  prisoner,  and  it  was  better  that  He  should 
leave  this  King's  country,  at  least  for  a  time. 

The  people  came  to  the  shore  in  crowds  to  see  them  off, 
and  hearing  that  Jesus  was  going  to  Bethsaida-Julia,  at  the 
Northern  end  of  the  Lake,  and  in  the  country  of  King  Philip, 
some  launched  their  boats  to  follow  Him,  and  others  resolved 
to  walk  thither  to  meet  Him  when  He  landed,  for,  going 
over  the  hills  it  was  only  about  six  miles  distant.     When  the 


l66  SAILING    UP    THE    JORDAN. 

people  saw  His  boat  pointed  to  the  North  end  of  the  Lake,  in 
twos,  and  threes,  and  groups — men,  women,  and  children,  they 
started  off  to  walk  by  the  hill-road,  watching  the  movements 
of  the  boat  from  each  rising  ground  as  they  went. 

From  the  boat  Jesus  saw  the  people  walking  along  the  road, 
and  knew  that  they  were  determined  to  meet  Him  when  He 
landed.  Perhaps  He  delayed  the  sail  in  order  to  speak  quietly 
to  His  excited  disciples,  for,  by  the  time  they  had  sailed  to  the 
top  of  the  Lake,  and  a  little  way  up  the  river  Jordan  to  the 
landing  place,  there  were  already  many  of  the  people  whom 
He  had  left  on  the  other  shore,  waiting  to  meet  Him.  And 
He  felt  compassion  for  them,  they  seemed  so  much  in  need  of 
care  and  teaching.  He  spoke  kindly  to  them  when  He 
landed  on  the  beach  of  gravel  and  shells  that  bounded  the 
plain  of  Butaiah,  for  He  knew  that  they  had  come  to  hear 
Him  speak  again  of  things  which  their  own  religious  Teachers 
never  told  them.  Tired  as  He  was.  He  healed  the  sick,  and 
leading  the  way  to  a  green  hillside,  followed  by  a  crowd  of 
over  five  thousand  persons,  by  the  banks  of  the  softly  flowing 
Jordan,  made  beautiful  by  the  colours  of  the  Spring  flowers 
that  burned  among  the  grass  and  blossomed  upon  the 
bushes  by  the  river's  side,  far  away  from  the  towns.  He 
sat  down  to  speak  to  the  people  again,  about  Heaven  and 
God. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  how  these  people  followed  Jesus 
to  hear  Him  speak,  and  though  thou  canst  never  see  Him  as 
He  stood  in  that  green  place,  yet  in  town  or  country,  alone 
or  in  crowds,  thou  canst  hear  His  voice  teaching  thee,  when 
thou  choosest  to  Hsten. 

Though  we  may  never  climb  those  hills, 

Nor  see  that  valley  fair, 
There's  not  a  scene  we  look  upon 

But  we  may  feel  Him  there. 


CROWN    HIM.  167 


CROWN   HIM! 

BETHSAIDA-JULIA,    SPRING,   A.D.    33. 

A  green  hillside,  with  warm  sunshine  on  it,  a  stretch  of 
grass  and  flowers,  a  winding  river,  a  blue  Lake  with  moun- 
tains beyond — that  was  the  quiet  spot  to  which  the  people 
had  followed  Jesus,  where  the  Jordan  enters  the  Lake. 
Sitting  on  the  hillside  above  them,  they  all  saw  Him  in 
His  white  tunic,  with  His  disciples  standing  near,  and 
they  hstened  in  earnest  silence  to  that  one  sweet  Voice 
in  that  quiet  place,  telling  them  things  which  they  had 
come  miles  to  hear.  How  different  from  their  old  Teachers  ! 
for  even  children  had  run  after  Him  and  stood  with  their 
fathers  listening.  Hours  passed,  and  He  who  had  come 
to  rest  still  spoke  on,  and  the  river's  bank  was  dotted  with 
rowing  boats  that  had  come  from  Tiberias,  and  were  pulled  up 
on  the  grass  while  the  people  went  to  listen.  The  great  Spring 
Festival — the  Passover — was  again  near,  and  the  people  were 
unsettled  and  beginning  to  make  holiday ;  but  the  afternoon 
was  passing,  evening  was  approaching,  and  the  disciples,  with 
grave  faces,  talked  in  a  group  behind  Jesus.  The  sun  was  beam- 
ing low  over  the  purple  hills  of  Galilee,  many  of  the  people 
had  a  long  way  to  go  home,  and  having  followed  Jesus  in 
haste,  they  had  brought  no  food,  and  the  disciples  feared  that 
harm  might  come  to  the  weak  ones  and  the  children  in 
crossing  the  river  Jordan,  and  on  their  way  home  through  the 
lonely  hills  in  the  dark,  where  wild  animals  might  rush  out  on 
them  from  caves  or  thickets. 

At  a  pause  in  His  speaking,  one  of  the  disciples,  most 
hkely  Philip,  went  forward  and  reminded  Jesus  of  the  time. 

"  This  place  is  lonely,"  he  said,  "  and  the  time  is  past. 
Send  the  people  away,  that  they  may  go  into  the  country  and 
villages  round  about  and  buy  food  for  themselves." 

"  They  need  not  go,"  Jesus  answered.     "  Give  them  food." 

"What !"  exclaimed  the  disciples,  "are  we  to  go  and  buy 
two  hundred  pennyworth  of  bread  to  give  them  ? "     They 


1 68  FIVE    BARLEY    LOAVES. 

wished  to  show  that  it  was  impossible  to  get  enough  food  for 
such  a  crowd,  who  were  now  looking  at  them,  and  wondering 
what  they  were  talking  about.  Turning  to  Philip,  who  be- 
longed to  that  part  of  the  country — 

*'  Where  are  we  to  buy  bread,  that  the  people  may  eat?  " 
Jesus  asked  him,  saying  this  to  test  him,  for  He  knew  what 
He  would  do. 

"  Two  hundred  pennyworth  of  bread,"  Philip  replied  with 
energy,  "  would  not  be  enough  for  this  crowd,  that  each  one 
may  get  a  Uttle." 

"How  many  loaves  have  you?"  Jesus  asked.  "Go  and 
see."  They  soon  returned,  and  Andrew,  speaking  for  them 
all,  said — 

"  There  is  a  lad  here  who  hath  five  barley  loaves  and  two 
small  fishes,  but  what  is  that  among  so  many  people  ?  " 

"  Bring  them  to  Me,"  Jesus  replied.  And  while  Andrew 
went  to  get  the  fishes  and  loaves  from  the  boy,  Jesus  turned 
again  to  the  people,  no  longer  to  teach,  but  to  command 
them  all  to  sit  down  upon  the  warm  grass  in  groups  of 
fifty  and  a  hundred,  and  He  told  His  disciples  to  go 
and  see  it  rightly  done.  And  soon  the  people  were  sitting 
upon  the  grass,  like  a  peaceful  army,  with  open  path- 
ways up  and  down  among  them,  through  which  the  disciples 
walked ;  and  there  were  about  five  thousand  men,  besides 
women  and  children. 

When  the  disciples  returned,  Jesus  took  the  five  loaves 
and  the  two  fishes  from  the  Lake,  and  looking  up  He  blessed 
them,  and  gave  thanks  to  God  before  all  the  people,  and 
broke  them,  and  giving  them  to  the  disciples,  bade  them 
divide  them  among  the  groups.  And  they  carried  them  down 
the  hillside  to  the  people,  going  through  the  grassy  lanes,  and 
handing  them  out  until  they  all  had  enough,  the  boy  who 
had  brought  them  getting  some  with  the  rest,  and  Jesus  and 
His  disciples  ate  along  with  them.  And  as  the  hungry  men 
tasted  the  loaves  and  fishes,  and  felt  their  faintness  going  away, 
they  began  to  be  grateful  and  valiant,  and  thought  what  a 
splendid  King  Jesus  would  make ;  and  how  well  He  would 


TWELVE    BASKETS    FULL.  1 69 

command  soldiers,  from  the  way  He  had  ordered  them  to 
sit  in  companies,  and  had  told  His  disciples,  like  officers,  to 
see  His  orders  carried  out.  Above  all.  He  could  work 
wonders ;  with  such  a  King  they  could  conquer  anything  ! 
Surely  He  was  the  Christ  who  was  to  come  and  drive  out 
the  enemies  of  their  nation,  found  a  glorious  Kingdom,  and 
sit  upon  a  throne  for  ever.  And  they  whispered  of  these 
things  to  each  other  as  they  sat  eating  the  loaves  and  fishes. 
But  Jesus  had  more  commands  to  give.  When  the  people 
were  done  eating,  He  surprised  His  disciples  by  saying — 

"Gather  up  all  the  broken  pieces  which  are  left,  that 
nothing  may  be  lost."  And  the  people  wondered,  as 
they  saw  the  twelve  disciples  coming  among  them  again, 
asking  for  all  the  broken  pieces  of  bread  and  fish,  and 
gathering  them  in  a  corner  of  their  large  cloaks ;  and  they 
were  enthusiastic  about  Jesus,  when  they  heard  that  He 
wished  nothing  wasted,  for  most  of  the  people  were  poor. 
And  when  the  disciples  were  done,  it  was  seen  that  there 
was  as  much  left  over  as  would  have  filled  twelve  of  the 
people's  common  wicker  baskets,  and  they  were  more  than 
ever  astonished  and  delighted,  and  openly  said  to  each 
other — 

"  Truly  this  is  the  promised  Christ  that  should  come  into 
the  world."  And  the  men  rose  to  their  feet,  and  began  to 
talk  earnestly  together.  The  Christ,  they  had  been  taught, 
was  to  be  a  King.  Why  should  they  not  make  Him  their 
King  now  ?  And  they  resolved,  there,  in  that  beautiful  lonely 
place,  away  from  towns  and  soldiers,  to  make  Jesus  their 
King  at  once.  They  would  crown  Him  with  a  wreath  of 
leaves  in  this  green  spot,  and  march  back  to-morrow  to  the 
towns  by  the  Lake,  rousing  all  Galilee,  with  the  Wonder- 
worker at  their  head !  They  knew  that  His  disciples 
favoured  His  being  a  King.  Had  they  not  proclaimed 
everywhere  that  the  long  expected  Kingdom  of  Heaven 
was  near  at  hand?  They  would  make  them  His  twelve 
officers!  "But,"  said  some  one,  "will  He  agree  to  be  our 
King?"     And  some  answered  "Yes,"  and  some  said  "No." 


lyO  ALONE    AMONG    THE    HILLS. 

"  We  are  a  great  crowd,"  said  one  of  the  wilder  men.  "  If 
He  will  not  consent,  we  can  force  Him  to  be  our  King  ! " 
and  they  all  agreed  to  this,  and  began  to  make  preparations. 

But  Jesus  heard  that  they  were  about  to  take  Him  by  force 
and  make  Him  their  King ;  and,  calling  His  disciples,  who 
were  anxious  to  see  the  people  have  their  way,  and  would 
have  willingly  helped  to  crown  Him,  He  ordered.  He  com- 
pelled them,  to  go  down  to  their  boat  in  the  river  at  once, 
and  return  to  Bethsaida,  near  Capernaum,  as  He  wished  to 
be  alone  with  the  people.  And  the  disciples  went.  Return- 
ing, Jesus  told  the  people  that  He  had  sent  His  disciples 
away  in  the  boat,  and  that  they  must  disperse  and  go  to 
their  homes ;  that  He  wished  to  be  alone.  And  without 
waiting  to  argue  with  them,  and  forbidding  any  one  to  follow 
Him,  He  left  them  and  went  up  to  the  higher  hills  above, 
while  they  stood  gazing  after  Him  in  wonder. 

When  the  shades  of  evening  crept  over  the  land,  Jesus  was 
once  more  alone  among  the  silent  hills.  And  well  might 
He  wish  to  be  alone.  '  Never  had  He  been  so  grievously  mis- 
understood as  upon  that  day.  The  people  thought  that  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven  in  the  world,  of  which  He  had  so  often 
spoken,  was  a  kingdom  of  cities  and  armies  like  that  of  any 
other  king.  That  excited  crowd,  these  foolish  disciples, 
would  fain  have  forced  into  His  hand  a  worldling's  sceptre, 
and  placed  upon  His  head  a  people's  crown,  not  knowing  that 
the  only  crown  which  He  should  ever  wear  would  be  of  plaited 
thorns,  a  blood-stained  reed  His  only  sceptre.  And  yet  the 
tribute  of  Liiese  men  was  not  a  light  thing.  But  how  to  turn 
their  minds  from  an  outward  earthly  kingdom  to  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven  within  them,  was  the  task  of  the  morrow,  for  which 
He  had  to  prepare. 

And  thou  wilt  not  forget  that  the  people  wished  to  make 
Jesus  a  King  of  war,  with  a  crown  of  gold,  and  He  would  not ; 
but  there  is  a  crown  which  He  will  not  refuse  from  thy  little 
hands,  the  crown  of  thy  love  and  worship. 


BE  NOT  AFRAID.  I7I 

BE  NOT  AFRAID! 

GENNESARET,    SPRING,    A.D.    2^. 

As  Jesus  slowly  climbed  the  grassy  hills  above  Bethsaida- 
Julia,  the  figures  of  the  people  grew  less  and  less  upon  the 
plain  below.  He  saw  some  of  them  pushing  off  their  boats 
and  rowing  down  the  stream,  and  others  walking  towards  the 
road  round  the  head  of  the  Lake ;  while  others  lingered,  as  if 
waiting  for  His  return ;  and  He  saw,  too,  the  large  boat  with 
His  disciples  sailing  out  from  the  river.  The  sun  sank  behind 
the  dark  hills  of  Nazareth,  and  for  a  brief  time  cloud  flakes  of 
red  and  yellow  floated  in  the  purple  sky ;  then  darkness  cov- 
ered the  land,  and  the  sparkling  stars  came  out.  All  was 
silent  round  Him,  save  for  the  cry  of  a  passing  bird  as  it 
winged  its  way  home  ;  but  Jesus  was  trained  in  the  highlands, 
and  loved  the  loneliness  of  hills.  He  had  had  the  highest 
honour  offered  to  Him  that  day,  which  men  give  to  men — the 
highest  which  He  was  ever  offered.  Five  thousand  men 
wished  to  bow  the  knee  to  Him,  and  call  Him  their  King ;  all 
of  whom  would  have  fought  for  Him.  Any  one  would  have 
been  touched  by  such  worship,  and  Jesus  most  of  all,  though 
it  was  but  earthly.  Be  a  King  and  use  force,  and  war,  to 
found  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  !  Oh  !  how  mistaken  were 
His  followers  !  Loving  hearts  were  to  be  His  armies,  the 
tongue  and  the  spirit,  the  weapons  which  would  spread  His 
Kingdom  throughout  Galilee  and  the  world. 

As  He  prayed  and  thought  of  the  morrow,  the  full  moon 
rose  over  the  black  mountains  behind  Him,  rose  into  the  deep 
blue  sky  and  shone  upon  the  Lake,  laying  a  pathway  of  silver 
upon  the  waves,  over  to  the  other  side.  And  at  midnight  He 
saw  the  boat  with  His  disciples  being  driven  by  a  contrary 
wind  across  the  pathway  of  the  moon.  The  sail  was  pulled 
down,  and  they  were  rowing  with  oars,  but  were  unable  to  go 
against  the  increasing  wind,  which  was  blowing  them  out  into 
the  Lake  and  away  from  the  place  where  they  wished  to  land. 
By  three  in  the  morning  they  had  rowed  only  about  four  miles  ; 
and  Jesus,  coming  down  from  the  hill,  walked  upon  the  water 


172  PETERS    BOAT. 

towards  the  tossing  boat.  They  did  not  see  Him  until  He 
was  near,  when  one  man,  looking  up  from  his  oar  as  the  boat 
rose  upon  a  wave,  saw  the  figure  of  Jesus  on  the  water.  His 
clothing  white  in  the  moonlight,  walking  as  if  He  meant  to 
pass  them.  An  exclamation  from  this  man  caused  the  others 
to  gaze  over  the  side  of  the  boat  at  the  white  figure  which 
was  coming  nearer,  and  they  all  cried  out  in  terror  that  it  was 
a  ghost,  for  at  that  time  people  believed  in  ghosts  and  wizards. 
Jesus  heard  their  cries. 

"Be  glad.  It  is  I.  Be  not  afraid,"  He  said,  being  now 
close  to  them.  And  He  was  grieved  that  in  their  terror  they 
should  not  think  of  Him.  Peter  was  the  first  to  recover  from 
his  fear.  He  thought  the  voice  was  the  voice  of  Jesus ;  his 
heart  beat  fast,  and  standing  up  in  his  place  at  the  stern  of 
the  boat.  He  called  through  the  wind — 

"  Lord,  if  it  be  Thou,  tell  me  to  come  to  Thee  upon  the 
water." 

"  Come  !  "  was  the  single  word  which  he  distinctly  heard ; 
and,  lowering  himself  down  over  the  side  of  the  boat,  he 
walked  upon  the  water  towards  Jesus.  But  he  had  not  gone 
far  when  he  began  to  look  with  dread  upon  the  dark,  swelling 
waves,  lest  he  should  be  drowned ;  and  at  that  instant  he  felt 
himself  sinking. 

"  Lord,  save  me  !  "  he  called  in  terror.  And  Jesus  put  out 
His  hand  and  took  hold  of  him,  saying — 

"  Oh,  faithless  one,  why  didst  thou  doubt  ?  "  Peter's  only 
reply  was  to  cling  to  His  hand  until  they  reached  the  disci- 
ples. When  they  were  both  taken  into  the  boat,  the  storm 
was  spent,  and  it  became  calm ;  and  the  others  were  aston- 
ished and  glad  to  have  Jesus  with  them  again,  and  in  that 
rough,  open  fishing-boat,  on  that  dark  Lake,  they  all  wor- 
shipped Him,  saying — 

"  Truly,  Thou  art  the  Son  of  God  !  "  and  for  a  time  at  least, 
they  beheved  it. 

They  soon  reached  the  other  side,  and  moored  the  boat 
in  one  of  the  many  beautiful  bays  that  form  the  white  shore 
at  the  plain  of  Gennesaret,  not  far  from  Capernaum;    and 


IS    NOT    THIS    JESUS?  1 73 

when  the  people  came  out  in  the  early  morning,  they  recog- 
nized the  boat,  and  began  again  to  bring  their  sick  to  Jesus 
on  mats,  and  He  healed  them.  And  after  this,  wherever  He 
went,  in  town  or  country  or  village,  the  people  gave  up  what 
they  were  working  at,  and  came  to  see  Him,  and  laying  their 
sick  outside  in  the  shade  of  the  trees  and  of  the  houses,  they 
begged  Him  to  come  near  that  they  might  touch  the  border 
of  His  cloak,  and  all  who  touched  were  healed. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  that  Peter  was  a  brave  and  con- 
fident man,  but  when  he  became  afraid,  he  grew  weak ;  and 
be  not  thou  too  confident  in  thyself,  and  when  thou  art  in 
fear  and  danger,  turn  to  Jesus  for  help,  and  He  will  strengthen 
thee. 

IS   NOT  THIS  JESUS? 

CAPERNAUM,   SPRING,   A.D.    33. 

The  people  who  had  remained  all  night  at  Bethsaida- Julia 
began  early  next  morning  to  look  for  Jesus  to  come  down  from 
the  hills,  and  when  He  did  not  come,  they  sought  Him  but 
could  not  find  Him,  for  by  that  time  He  was  in  Capernaum. 
Giving  up  all  hope  of  making  Him  their  King  then,  they  got 
into  their  boats,  and  sailed  down  the  Lake  to  Capernaum, 
whither  they  believed  the  disciples  had  gone.  There  they 
found  Peter's  boat  moored  to  the  wharf,  and  empty,  and  going 
up  to  the  town  they  heard  that  the  disciples,  with  Jesus,  were 
at  the  Thursday  forenoon  service  in  the  church,  and  there  they 
found  Him,  sitting  on  the  chief  seat  with  the  other  Teachers, 
and  they  were  surprised,  not  knowing  how  He  had  come. 
When  the  reading  was  over,  and  the  time  came  to  speak,  Jesus 
rose,  and  going  to  the  reader's  raised  seat  in  the  middle  of  the 
church.  He  sat  down  and  taught  the  people ;  and  when  He 
ended,  one  of  those  who  had  come  that  morning  from 
Bethsaida-Julia,  said — 

"  Master,  when  didst  thou  come  hither?"  But  Jesus  knew 
that  they  had  followed  Him  because  of  the  bread  they  ate 
yesterday. 

"You  seek  Me,"  He  answered,  "not  because  of  what  you 


174  THE    BREAD    OF    LIFE. 

saw,  but  because  you  ate  of  the  bread  and  were  satisfied  ]  but 
you  ought  not  to  seek  bread  which  perisheth,  but  that  thing 
which  endureth,  and  which  I  shall  give  you  " — meaning  that 
they  ought  to  follow  Him  for  what  He  taught.  Then  some 
one,  remembering  the  power  which  His  disciples  had  received 
when  they  went  out  to  teach,  and  wishing  they  could  also  do 
great  things,  asked — 

"  What  must  we  do,  that  we  may  work  the  works  of  God?" 

"Beheve  in  Me,  whom  God  hath  sent,"  Jesus  rephed  :  "  that 
is  the  work  of  God."  But  others,  when  they  heard  Him  say 
that  God  had  sent  Him,  raised  the  old  Pharisee  cry  for  Him 
to  work  a  wonder,  as  a  sign  of  His  power. 

"What  wonder  wilt  Thou  work  as  a  sign,"  they  asked, 
"  that  we  may  see  it  and  believe  in  Thee  ?  What  wilt  Thou 
do?  Our  forefathers  ate  manna  in  the  desert,  for  the  Bible 
says,  God  gave  them  bread  from  Heaven.  What  wonder 
doest  Thou?"  They  connected  the  bread  of  yesterday  with 
the  manna  of  long  ago,  and  hoped  Jesus  would  make  more 
bread  then  and  there,  and  astonish  and  convince  the  congre- 
gation by  a  sign,  but  He  refused. 

"  Moses,"  He  replied,  "  did  not  give  you  the  true  bread 
of  Heaven,  but  God  by  Me  offereth  it  to  you ;  for  I  am  the 
true  Bread  of  God  which  cometh  down  from  Heaven,  and 
giveth  Hfe  to  the  world."  By  "bread"  Jesus  meant  the 
words  which  God  had  given  Him  to  speak,  just  as  He  called 
the  Spirit  "  water,"  to  the  woman  at  the  well  of  Sychar. 
But  the  people,  thinking  He  meant  only  bread  for  eating, 
exclaimed^  - 

"  Master,  always  give  us  this  bread  !  "  They  thought  He 
would  again  feed  them  wonderfully ;  but  He  tried  to  draw 
their  minds  away  from  the  bread  which  they  had  eaten 
yesterday,  to  Himself  and  to  His  words. 

"/am  that  Bread  of  Life,"  He  said.  "Whoever  cometh  to 
Me  shall '  not  hunger,  and  whoever  believeth  in  Me  shall  not 
thirst.  As  I  have  told  you  before, — you  listen  to  Me,  but  you 
do  not  believe  Me.  But  I  will  not  turn  away  any  one  who 
cometh  to  Me,  for  I  came  from    Heaven,  not  to  do  Mine 


BELIEVE,    AND    HAVE    HEAVEN.  1 75 

own  will,  but  the  will  of  God,  and  His  will  is,  that  of  all  those 
whom  He  hath  given  Me,  I  should  lose  none.  For  it  is  the 
will  of  My  Father  in  Heaven,  that  whoever  believeth  in  Me 
shall  have  Heaven."  The  words  of  their  young  Countryman 
amazed  them.  He  the  Son  of  God?  He  the  bread  of 
Heaven? — and  yet  the  more  they  looked  at  His  calm  beautiful 
face,  the  more  they  felt  that  He  was  far  above  them  all.  The 
silence  which  followed  His  long  answer  was  filled  by  a  murmur 
of  tongues  throughout  the  congregation. 

"  I  am  bread  !  "  "  Come  down  from  Heaven  !  "  "  Why," 
they  whispered  to  each  other,  "  is  not  Xkix^  Jesus ^  the  Carpenter 
from  Nazareth,  whom  we  know,  and  whose  father  and  mother 
we  know?  How  can  He  say  He  came  down  from  Heaven?" 
And  they  could  not  think  what  to  make  of  His  words,  kt^^ 
yet  how  near  to  the  truth  they  came  that  day  in  their  blind- 
ness, calling  Him  "  Jesus,"  and  yet  it  did  not  enter  their 
thoughts  that  He  could  be  the  Son  of  God,  whom  He  said 
He  was.  Of  course  Jesus  meant  that  it  was  His  Spirit,  the 
Spirit  of  God  within  Him,  not  His  body,  that  had  come  down 
from  Heaven.  And  hearing  what  the  people  said.  He  spoke 
again,  not  to  answer  them,  but  to  tell  them  that  the  same 
Spirit  of  God  would  teach  them  that  He  was  from  God. 

"Do  not  complain  to  each  other,"  He  said.  ^^ Nobody 
can  come  to  Me  unless  God  draw  him.  The  Bible  saith  they 
shall  all  be  taught  by  God.  So  every  one  who  hath  heard 
and  learned  from  God  cometh  to  Me," — meaning  that  who- 
ever Hsteneth  to  the  voice  of  the  Spirit  of  God  speaking  within 
him,  will  believe  in  Jesus.  And  then,  while  the  people  who 
crowded  round  the  walls  and  pillars  and  looked  in  at  the  open 
doors  of  that  little  church,  listened  in  rapt  silence,  Jesus  uttered 
these  great  words. 

"  I  say  truly,  that  whoever  believeth  in  Me  hath  Heaven. 
I  am  that  Bread  of  Life.  Your  forefathers  ate  manna  in  the 
desert,  and  are  all  dead,  but  I  am  the  true  Bread  of  Heaven, 
which  a  man  may  take  and  not  die  ;  for  I  am  the  living  Bread, 
and  I  came  from  Heaven.  Whoever  eateth  of  Me  shall  have 
Heaven ;  yes,  and  the  bread  which  /  will  give  is  My  body  for 


176    •  THE    LIFE    OF    THE    WORLD. 

the  life  of  the  worlds  In  these  words  we  have  the  first 
intimation  from  Jesus  that  He  expected  to  be  killed.  Again 
the  people  began  to  talk.  They  could  not  listen  any  longer 
in  silence  to  such  strange  words,  and  argued  hotly  with  each 
other  as  to  whether  He  really  meant  that  they  would  eat  Him. 
But  if  thou  hadst  been  there  thou  wouldst  have  said,  "  Cer- 
tainly not ;  Jesus  means  that  we  are  to  receive  His  words  as 
though  they  were  bread."  But  the  people  still  asked  each 
other,  "  How  can  He  give  us  His  flesh  to  eat?"  Jesus  did 
not  explain,  but  went  on  to  speak  of  His  words  as  if  they  were 
flesh  and  blood. 

"  Unless  you  eat  My  flesh  and  drink  My  blood,"  He  con- 
tinued, ''  you  can  have  no  life  in  you.  Whoever  eateth  and 
drinketh  these,  hath  Heaven,  for  My  flesh  and  blood  are  meat 
and  drink  indeed.  Whoever  eateth  My  flesh  and  drinketh  My 
blood  shall  be  joined  to  Me,  and  My  Spirit  shafl  be  in  Him ; 
for,  as  the  living  God  sent  Me,  and  I  live  because  of  Him,  so 
whoever  eateth  Me  shall  live  because  of  Me.  This  is  the  true 
Bread  that  cometh  from  Heaven ;  not  such  bread  as  your 
fathers  ate,  for  whoever  eateth  this  Bread  shall  have  Heaven." 

With  these  words  He  ended  speaking,  and  the  people  did 
not  ask  Him  any  more  questions.  His  answers  had  gone 
deeper  and  deeper  each  time,  and  beyond  their  understanding, 
and  they  went  away,  the  chief  Jews  arguing  as  they  went 
down  the  sunny  street  from  the  little  white  pillared  church 
in  the  upper  town,  about  the  strange,  seemingly  impossible 
things  Jesus  had  said.  And  to  all  who  would  listen  to  them, 
the  Teach ej  said  He  had  spoken  nonsense,  and  that  for  Him 
to  say  that  they  could  have  Heaven  by  eating  His  body,  was 
a  falsehood  for  which  He  should  be  punished.  But  Jesus  did 
not  mean  any  such  thing.  He  meant  that  His  words  were  to 
be  taken  in,  as  one  would  take  flesh,  bread,  or  water,  and 
that  His  words  would  give  the  Spirit  of  God  and  Heaven  to 
those  who  believed  them.  And  thus  He  sought  to  turn  the 
people's  thoughts  away  from  the  bread  of  yesterday  to  that 
which  was  alone  important, — His  words  and  Spirit. 

Remember,  then,  what  He  said  in  that  humble  Httle  church. 


MANY    PEOPLE    LEAVE    HIM.  1 77 

and  hearken  to  the  voice  of  God  within  thee,  drawing 
thee,  turning  thy  face  to  Jesus,  and  bringing  thee  into 
Heaven. 


MANY   PEOPLE    LEAVE   HIM. 

CAPERNAUM,    SPRING,   A.D,    23- 

Jesus  had  now  reached  His  greatest  popularity.  For  more 
than  two  years  He  had  taught  the  people  and  done  wonders, 
and  they  beheved  He  would  reach  a  very  high  position,  per- 
haps would  be  the  King.  Everybody  at  Capernaum  talked 
about  Him,  crowds  followed  Him,  and  many  friends  new  and 
old  were  round  Him,  some  believing  He  was  the  Christ  the  Son 
of  God,  some  that  He  was  a  great  wonder-working  Prophet, 
some  that  He  would  yet  be  their  King,  while  many  came  only 
through  curiosity  to  see  the  wonderful  Carpenter  of  Nazareth. 

But  He  had  come  to  the  turning-point  in  His  public  life ; 
for  He  was  about  to  tell  His  enthusiastic  followers  that  He 
would  never  be  their  King,  would  never  be  anything  but  Jesus 
of  Nazareth,  would  never  have  any  of  the  world's  prizes  to 
offer  them,  and  that  if  they  did  not  follow  Him  for  His  teach- 
ing alone,  they  had  better  not  follow  Him  at  all.  His  friends 
were  full  of  hopes  of  advancement,  of  riches,  of  power, 
firmly  believing  that  in  a  few  months  He  would  declare 
Himself  to  be  the  nation's  rightful  King,  and  establish  a 
powerful  Kingdom  that  would  last  for  ever.  Following  Him 
to  the  church  at  Capernaum,  they  expected  He  would  there 
have  told  them  something  of  His  future  plans,  and  perhaps 
have  said  when  would  come  the  triumph  for  which  the  dis- 
ciples had  stirred  up  the  people ;  but  instead  of  that  He  had 
held  out  no  prospect  of  rewards,  no  hopes  of  power,  things 
which  they  were  all  working  for,  but  had  spoken  of  their  eat- 
ing His  flesh  and  drinking  His  blood,  and  of  giving  His  body 
for  the  world,  things  which  they  could  not  understand.  This 
was  very  disappointing.  He  would  not  do  anything  His 
followers  wanted,  but  spoke  of  doing,  not  His  own  will,  but 
the  will  of  God,  and  when  they  came  out  of  the  church  that 


178  MY    WORDS,    ARE    SPIRIT. 

Spring  day,  many  of  those  who  had  followed  Him  about  the 
country  with  such  admiration  during  these  latter  weeks,  began 
to  change  their  minds,  as  they  talked  over  what  He  had  said 
in  the  church.  There  was  evidently  to  be  no  rising  of  the 
people,  no  fighting,  no  conquests,  no  rewards,  no  visible  King- 
dom ;  indeed,  when  they  had  most  expected  Him  to  speak 
plainly.  He  had  spoken  mysteries  which  they  could  not  under- 
stand. And  as  His  friends  stood  in  the  shade  of  the  thick 
spreading  trees  to  be  out  of  the  hot  sunshine,  and  talked  over 
His  sayings  with  His  disciples,  outside  the  church,  they  shook 
their  heads,  and  said — 

"These  are  hard  sayings.  Who  can  understand  them?" 
His  followers  wished  to  lead,  not  to  follow,  and  stood  in 
groups  grumbling  and  discontented ;  but  when  Jesus  heard  of 
their  displeasure.  He  came  towards  them. 

"Have  these  things  offended  you?"  He  said.  "What 
would  you  think  if  you  should  see  Me  going  up  into  Heaven, 
where  I  was  before?  The  body  is  nothing;  it  is  the  Spirit  of 
God  that  give th  Life  ;  a?id  the  words  which  I  have  spoken  to 
you  they  are  Spirit  atid  are  Life.^''  Thus  He  explained  that 
it  was  foolish  for  any  one  to  think  He  meant  them  to  eat  His 
flesh  or  drink  His  blood,  for  these  could  do  no  good.  That 
He  spoke  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  what  He  meant  by  eating, 
was  receiving,  and  believing  His  words,  which  were  the  Spirit 
of  God.  Receive  and  believe  His  words,  and  they  would 
have  the  Spirit  of  God  dwelling  in  them,  would  become  sub- 
jects of  His  Kingdom  of  Heaven  in  the  world.  A  child  might 
understand  Him  now.  But  as  He  looked  at  the  gloomy  faces 
of  the  men,  shaded  by  their  kerchiefs  of  yellow,  red,  or  white, 
who  only  yesterday  would  have  made  Him  their  King,  He  saw 
that  the  end  of  their  selfish,  mistaken,  worldly  hopes,  had 
turned  many  against  Him,  and  He  was  grieved  and  perhaps 
angry,  as  He  said  to  them  plainly — 

"There  are  some  of  you  still  who  do  not  believe  Me!" 
But  He  would  not  argue  longer,  or  further  try  to  convince 
them  that  He  spoke  the  truth,  and  turning  away.  He  ad- 
dressed these  last  words  to  His  own  chosen  disciples,  as  a 


THE    FALSE    AND    THE    TRUE.  1 79 

test  to  try  themselves  by,  at  this  grave  turning-point,  for  He 
knew  their  thoughts — 

"  As  I  said  to  you  before,  nobody  can  come  to  Me  unless 
the  Spirit  of  God  puts  it  into  him  to  come."  And  turning 
away  alone  He  left  them  to  consider  whether  they  felt  drawn 
by  God  to  continue  with  Him  any  longer,  or  whether  it  was 
only  the  hope  of  money  and  rewards  that  had  brought  them 
thus  far. 

And  now  came  the  trial  of  His  followers.  They  were  scat- 
tered about  in  picturesque  groups,  here  the  rich  Pharisee  from 
Judcca,  in  his  flowing  robes  and  white  turban,  talked  excitedly 
to  the  brown-faced  country  people  with  their  blue  and  grey 
cloaks,  who  stood  listening  with  doubtful  faces ;  and  there, 
seated  on  the  ground,  their  heads  covered  by  their  long 
coloured  kerchiefs,  other  followers  talked  the  matter  over 
among  themselves.  Should  they  go  on  or  turn  back  was  the 
question.  They  who  did  not  believe  His  words  were  not 
drawn  by  the  Spirit  of  God ;  they  who  believed  Him,  were. 
They  could  choose  for  themselves.  The  test  was  simple,  and 
it  is  true  to  this  day.  But  these  last  words  of  Jesus  had  an 
astonishing  and  immediate  effect ;  for  the  people  began  to 
disperse  and  go  off  to  their  homes  and  their  villages,  their 
potteries  and  tan-yards,  fishing-boats,  sheepfolds,  farms,  and 
fruit  gardens.  Some  were  angry,  and  went  away  offended, 
others  were  glad  of  an  excuse  for  leaving  Him,  others  were 
disgusted  that  He  should  fling  away  such  a  splendid  chance 
of  being  a  great  King,  and  helping  them  all.  They  would 
go  no  more  with  Him,  and  His  followers  went  away  in  such 
numbers,  that  it  seemed  as  though  nobody  would  remain 
behind. 

Standing  apart  by  themselves,  with  very  grave  faces,  were 
His  twelve  disciples,  for  they  doubted  the  prudence  of  the 
words  which  had  offended  so  many.  They  were  sorry  to  see 
the  people  going  away,  bitterly  disappointed  to  see  this  ap- 
parent end  of  their  hopes  and  work,  but  still  they  stood  firm, 
with  Peter  at  their  head,  for  the  Spirit  of  God  was  in  them. 
Jesus  came  back  to  them,  and  speaking  sadly  of  those  whose 


l8o  WILL    YE    GO    ALSO? 

backs  were  now  turned  upon  Him,  He  said  with  a  look  that 
must  have  brought  tears  into  their  eyes — 

"  Will  ye  also  go  away?  "  Then  Peter  spoke  for  the  twelve, 
Peter,  one  of  the  first  to  follow  Jesus, — who  had  worked  for 
Him  by  night  and  day,  on  land  and  water,  who  had  given  Him 
a  home  and  a  boat,  and  who  loved  the  brave  sensitive  nature 
of  Jesus,  and  worshipped  His  pure  Spirit ;  for  his  bold  hasty 
temper  was  roused,  roused  by  the  sight  of  cowards  and 
hypocrites  deserting  his  young  Master  and  fellow-countryman  ! 
and  his  reply  was  a  vehement  question — 

"  Lord,"  he  exclaimed  impetuously,  "  Lord,  to  whom  shall 
we  go  but  unto  Thee  ?  Thou  hast  the  words  of  Heaven,  and 
we  believe  and  know  that  Thou  art  the  Holy  One  of  God."  A 
noble  answer  !  Using  Jesus'  own  words  as  the  best  of  reasons 
why  they  would  not  leave  Him.  With  the  Spirit  of  God  draw- 
ing them,  Peter  asked  whether  it  were  possible  for  them  to 
follow  any  other  one  than  Jesus,  and  He  was  angry  when  He 
saw  the  insincerity  with  which  He  had  been  followed  by  so 
many  people,  and  his  strong  rugged  heart  was  only  the  more 
determined  to  stand  by  their  young  Master,  the  more  he  saw 
Him  deserted  by  others.  His  vehement  words  put  courage 
into  the  rest  of  the  disciples,  and  Jesus  was  deeply  moved. 

"  Did  I  not  choose  you  to  be  My  disciples,"  He  repHed 
sadly,  "  and  yet  one  of  you  hath  a  spirit  of  evil  ?  "  Judas  was 
the  one. 

The  day  of  trial  was  over.  The  test  had  been  applied,  the 
test  of  the  Spirit :  the  false  had  gone,  the  true  remained,  and 
it  was  with'  deep  emotion  that  Jesus  walked  back  to  Peter's 
house.  He  had  made  His  position  clear  before  all  the  people, 
He  could  never  be  their  King,  nor  give  them  money,  as  other 
kings  did,  for  His  Kingdom  was  in  their  own  minds,  and  all 
had  not  left  Him.  It  was  to  Him  a  day  of  deliverance, 
although  'to  some  He  seemed  to  have  been  put  back  to  where 
He  was  eighteen  months  before,  with  only  twelve  men  round 
Him. 

Remember,  then,  the  test  which  Jesus  gave  the  people  that 
day,  and  which  decided  between  His  false  and  His  true  fol- 


SPIES    FROM    JERUSALEM.  l8l 

lowers ; — whether  they  followed  Him  for  His  words,  drawn  by 
the  Spirit  of  God  to  love,  trust,  and  believe  Him,  or  whether 
they  followed  Him  for  some  other  reason,  for  that  is  still  the 
test  of  His  followers. 

SPIES   FROM   JERUSALEM. 

CAPERNAUM,    SUMMER,   A.D.    33. 

April  had  come  again.  Round  every  spring  and  by  every 
watercourse  that  wound  across  the  rich  plain  of  Gennesaret  the 
oleander  bushes  were  again  filled  with  flowers  of  crimson  and 
pink,  even  down  to  the  white  shore  at  the  Lake,  while  the  olive 
trees  were  covered  white  with  blossom,  thick  as  the  flourish  on 
our  native  hawthorn ;  the  woods  rang  with  the  singing  of  birds, 
and  the  people  rejoiced,  for  the  great  Passover  Festival  was 
near.  But  Jesus  did  not  go  to  it  this  year.  He  knew  that 
the  chief  Jews  at  Jerusalem,  remembering  what  He  had  said 
and  done  at  the  last  Passover,  were  watching  for  Him,  and 
that  they  had  resolved  if  they  caught  Him  to  have  Him  killed ; 
and  He  remained  in  Galilee.  But  when  the  priests  found  that 
He  had  remained  away  from  the  Festival,  and  hearing  wonder- 
ful stories  about  Him  from  the  people  who  had  come  from 
Capernaum,  they  held  a  meeting  of  their  highest  council,  and 
appointed  some  men  to  go  again  to  Galilee  and  follow  Jesus 
as  spies.  And  when  the  Festival  was  over,  these  spies  came 
down  to  the  Lake-side,  and  found  Him  going  about  among  the 
villages  teaching  with  His  disciples.  They  watched  Him  in 
walking,  in  teaching,  in  eating,  in  drinking,  these  high  religious 
Teachers  from  Jerusalem,  and  they  soon  found  something  to 
say  against  Him, — His  disciples  did  not  always  wash  their 
hands  before  taking  food  !  That  was  what  they  discovered, 
and  though  this  was  nothing  new,  they  thought  it  would  be 
enough  to  report  to  Jerusalem,  that  Jesus  was  still  breaking 
their  rules  about  hand-washing.  For  they  said  that  people 
must  not  only  wash  their  hands  before  food,  but  wash  them 
in  a  particular  way,  by  having  water  poured  on  them  and  rub- 
bing the  back  of  one  hand  upon  the  palm  of  the  other,  then 
putting  both  hands  together  and  holding  them  up,  until  the 


1 82  WASHING    AND    SPRINKLING. 

water  ran  down  to  their  elbows,  then  turning  them  quickly 
down  before  the  water  could  run  off,  and  then  up  again  before 
it  could  pass  their  knuckles,  pouring  clean  water  upon  them 
once  when  hfted,  and  twice  as  they  hung  down,  repeating 
certain  words  all  the  time.  They  had  also  many  other  rules, 
about  sprinkling  couches  with  water  before  lying  on  them,  and 
pots  and  pans  and  cups  before  using  them.  Now  the  disciples, 
following  the  example  of  Jesus,  only  washed  their  hands  when 
they  wished.  But  these  spies  wanted  to  catch  Jesus,  and 
meeting  Him  upon  the  road  one  day  they  stopped  Him  and 
demanded — 

"Why  do  Thy  disciples  break  our  rules,  for  they  do  not 
wash  their  hands  before  eating  bread?"  They  did  not  know 
what  Jesus  had  said  to  the  Pharisees  and  Lawyers  in  the 
Pharisee's  house  in  a  Galilean  village  about  nine  months 
before,  or  they  might  not  have  put  this  question.  His  answer 
was  unexpected — 

"  You  break  the  commands  of  God,"  He  said,  "  that  you  may 
keep  your  own  sayings,  disobeying  what  is  written  in  the  Bible, 
that  you  may  carry  out  your  own  rules."  And  He  showed, 
that  in  order  to  get  money  for  their  great  Temple  at 
Jerusalem,  they  had  made  a  greedy  and  cruel  rule  that  broke 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  commands  of  God.  "  God's  com- 
mandment in  the  Bible,"  He  continued,  "  is, 

" '  Honour  thy  father  and  thy  mother  that  thy  days  may  be 
long  upon  the  land  which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee. 

"  *  And  he  that  revileth  his  father  or  mother  shall  surely  be 
put  to  death.* 

"  But  you  have  made  a  rule  which  says,  that  if  a  man  shall  give 
to  the  Temple  the  money  which  he  ought  to  give  to  his  father 
and  mother,  he  is  free  from  giving  it  to  them,  thus  breaking  the 
commandment  that  a  man  is  to  give  to  his  parents,  by  the  little 
rule  which  you  have  set  up  for  yourselves."  The  spies  could 
not  deny  that  if  a  son  gave  the  priests  his  money,  they  would 
pardon  him  for  not  giving  it  to  his  father  and  mother.  Now, 
it  is  one  of  the  highest  duties  of  children  to  honour  and  love 
and  support  their  parents,  who  have  done  so  much  for  them. 


BLIND    GUIDES.  1 83 

and  nothing  can  excuse  a  child  for  disobeying  this,  and  yet 
there  are  countries  called  heathen,  where  this  command  of  God 
is  better  obeyed  than  in  Christian  England  !  Turning  to  the 
people  who  had  come  to  listen,  Jesus  went  on  to  show  the 
folly  and  wickedness  of  these  rules  of  the  priests. 

"'The  words  in  the  Bible,"  He  said,  "written  long  ago  by 
Isaiah  about  the  Jews,  are  true  to-day  of  these  Pharisees. 

"  * .  .  .  This  people  draw  near  Me  with  their  mouth, 

"*And  with  their  lips  do  honour  Me,  but  have  removed 
their  hearts  far  from  Me, 

"  *  And  their  fear  of  Me  is  a  commandment  of  men,  which 
hath  been  taught  them.' 

"  But,"  He  continued,  "  it  is  no  use  their  pretending  to 
worship  God  when  they  teach  their  own  rules  in  place  of  God's 
commandments.  Listen  to  Me,  and  understand.  Nothing 
which  a  man  eateth  can  make  him  either  good  or  bad,  but 
what  he  speaketh  may  do  so."  And  leaving  the  Jerusalem 
spies  rebuked,  and  their  petty  rules  set  aside  before  the  people, 
Jesus  resumed  His  walk  with  His  disciples  along  the  sunny 
road  towards  Peter's  house. 

Now,  the  people  had  been  taught  by  their  religious 
Teachers,  and  believed  very  strongly,  that  it  was  wicked  to 
eat  certain  kinds  of  food,  including  rabbits,  pigs,  and  many 
other  animals,  and  certain  kinds  of  fish,  and  birds,  and  the 
disciples  also  believed  it ;  and  when  they  heard  Jesus  say 
that  a  man  might  eat  anything,  they  were  surprised,  and 
asked  Him  when  they  got  into  the  house — 

"  Dost  Thou  know  that  the  Pharisees  were  offended  with 
what  Thou  didst  say  ?  " 

"  Let  the  Pharisees  alone,"  He  answered.  "  Every  plant 
which  God  hath  not  planted  shall  be  rooted  up.  These 
Pharisees  are  like  blind  guides,  and  if  blind  guides  lead 
blind  people,  both  shall  fall  into  the  ditch."  He  meant 
that  the  Pharisees,  who  had  not  God's  Spirit,  taught  the 
people  wrongly. 

"  Explain  to  us,"  said  Peter,  speaking  for  them  all,  "  what 
Thou  saidst  to  the  Pharisees  about  eating  all  kinds  of  food." 


184  THE    TOWNS    OF    TYRE    AND    SIDON. 

"Even  yet,"  Jesus  replied,  "  do  you  not  understand  Me? 
The  food  that  a  man  eateth  is  to  keep  him  ahve,  and  cannot 
make  him  good  or  bad,  but  wicked  words  show  a  wicked 
mind,  and  from  them  come  wicked  thoughts  and  wicked 
deeds.  These  make  a  man  bad.  But  to  eat  all  kinds  of 
food,  or  to  eat  without  washing  your  hands,  can  never  make 
you  wicked."  Thus  He  said  that  all  food  was  good  to  be 
eaten,  freeing  the  people  at  once  from  many  hard  rules  about 
food  which  their  religious  Teachers  had  laid  upon  them.  In 
His  teaching  Jesus  had  now  broken  through  and  spoken 
against  the  Sabbath  rules  of  the  priests,  their  meat  rules, 
their  hand  and  pot  washings,  their  false  teaching,  their  long 
prayers,  their  gifts  to  the  Temple ;  and  had  accused  the 
Teachers  of  teaching  their  own  rules  and  sayings  instead  of 
the  laws  of  God ;  and  these  spies  sent  word  to  the  council 
of  priests  at  Jerusalem  of  all  that  this  young  Gahlean  was 
saying  and  doing.  But  Jesus  continued  calmly  to  tell  the 
people  about  Heaven  and  the  will  of  God. 

Remember  thou  what  Jesus  said  about  loving  and  honour- 
ing thy  father  and  mother,  and  never  let  a  harsh  or  scornful 
word  escape  thee,  nor  think  that  thou  canst  ever  repay  their 
early  love ;  for  when  thou  couldst  not  speak,  they  fed  thee ; 
when  thou  couldst  not  walk,  they  carried  thee  ;  when  thou 
wast  ill,  they  nursed  thee,  and  now  that  thou  canst  run,  thou 
must  run  for  them ;  for  there  is  no  more  heavenly  sight  than 
a  joyful  child  running  to  and  fro,  helping  and  obeying  his 
father  and  mother,  as  Jesus  did,  when  a  child. 

THE   TOWNS   OF   TYRE   AND   SIDON. 

PHCENICIA,    SUMMER,   A.D.    33. 

For  more  than  a  year  the  churches  of  Judaea  had  been 
closed  against  Jesus  by  the  council  of  priests,  nor  could 
He  safely  visit  that  part  of  the  country ;  and  now  they 
gave  orders  that  He  should  not  be  allowed  to  teach  in 
the  churches  of  Galilee  either,  and  He  was  daily  watched 
and  annoyed  by  the  Pharisees.     He  had  been  unable  to  get 


HIS    LONGEST   JOURNEY.  1 85 

that  rest  which  He  wished  at  Bethsaida-JuUa,  and  He  de- 
termined to  go  away  with  His  disciples,  unknown  to  the 
people,  into  a  part  of  the  country  beyond  Galilee  to  the  North- 
ward, where  He  had  not  been  before.  Leaving  Capernaum 
privately,  He  walked  along  the  road  which  led  from  the 
Northern  end  of  the  Lake  up  to  the  hills  about  Safed,  the 
highest  town  of  Galilee.  He  was  going  into  the  district  of 
Phoenicia  bordering  on  the  great  Mediterranean  Sea,  where 
there  were  two  large  seaport  towns,  called  Tyre  and  Sidon, 
rich  and  populous  ;  and  where  the  people  did  not  worship  the 
God  of  the  Jews,  but  had  gods  of  their  own,  and  were  called 
heathens  by  the  Jews.  Summer  was  now  advancing,  and  the 
roads  were  hot  and  dusty ;  but  a  walk  of  six  miles  brought 
them  to  the  highest  part  of  the  hills  of  Northern  Galilee 
called  Naphtali,  from  which  they  could  see  the  boundless 
blue  ocean,  the  small  Lake  of  Gennesaret,  and  the  wooded 
Lebanon  mountains  rising  up  to  snow-capped  Hermon.  Six 
miles  more  and  they  were  nearly  out  of  Galilee,  and  it  is 
likely  that  they  then  rested  for  the  night  in  some  friend's 
house.  But  it  became  known  that  Jesus  was  there,  and  on  the 
next  day,  as  He  walked  with  His  disciples,  a  Syrian  woman, 
who  had  come  from  a  distance,  came  crying  after  Him — 

"  Lord  !  have  mercy  on  me.  Thou  Son  of  King  David. 
My  little  girl  is  much  troubled  with  an  evil  spirit."  But  Jesus 
took  no  notice  of  her.  He  wished  to  test  her  earnestness. 
Did  this  woman,  in  her  curious  dress  of  bright  colours,  and 
speaking  a  strange  language,  really  believe  that  He  could  help 
her?  She  still  continued  to  follow,  and  His  disciples,  dread- 
ing the  notice  which  her  behaviour  would  bring  upon  them, 
stopped  Him. 

"  Send  her  away,"  they  said,  "  for  she  crieth  after  us."  He 
replied  that  He  had  been  sent  to  heal  and  teach  Jews,  not 
strangers ;  but  He  did  not  say  he  would  not  Hsten  to  her. 
Coming  up  to  Him  as  He  stood,  she  bowed  herself  at  His 
feet,  and  worshipped  Him. 

"  Lord  !  help  me  !  "  she  said  earnestly,  for  she  beheved  He 
would  not  send  away  a  sorrowing  woman  who  begged  not  for 


1 86  THE    DOGS    UNDER    THE    TABLE. 

herself,  but  for  another ;  but  Jesus  wished  to  try  her  further. 
She  had  heard  part  of  what  he  had  said  to  His  disciples,  and 
He  repeated  it  to  her  in  a  different  way. 

"  The  children  must  first  be  fed,"  He  said,  meaning  that  the 
Jews  must  be  attended  to  before  strangers,  whom  they  were 
accustomed  to  call  ''  dogs,"  adding,  "  It  is  not  right  to  take 
the  children's  bread  and  give  it  to  the  dogs  of  the  house." 
But  the  woman  was  not  to  be  turned  away.  She  did  not  say 
that  the  Jews  had  no  right  to  call  them  "  dogs ;  "  she  only 
pleaded  for  a  little  kindness. 

''Yes,  Lord!"  she  answered,  "but  even  the  dogs  under 
the  table  eat  of  the  children's  crumbs  which  fall  from  the 
master's  table."  Thou  hast  seen  how  the  dogs  in  a  farmer's 
kitchen  come  in  and  walk  round  the  table  at  dinner-time. 
They  did  the  same  in  that  country.  And  seeing  the  woman's 
faith,  Jesus  said — 

"  O  woman,  great  is  thy  faith  !  Because  of  what  thou  hast 
said,  go  away,  for  I  have  granted  thy  wish.  The  trouble  hath 
left  thy  daughter."  With  glad  steps  the  woman  hurried  away 
to  her  distant  home,  thanking  Jesus  in  her  heart  as  she  went ; 
and  when  she  got  there  she  found  her  little  girl  no  longer 
uttering  strange  cries,  but  well  again. 

Soon  after  this,  Jesus  and  His  disciples  walked  away  from 
the  hills  of  Galilee  down  into  the  lower  country  of  Phoenicia, 
by  the  road  which  led  to  the  large  town  of  Tyre  on  the  seaside. 
They  were  now  out  of  the  countr}^  of  King  Antipas,  and  if  they 
continued  on  the  well-known  road  from  Galilee  to  Tyre,  by 
the  end  ui'the  second  day  they  looked  down  upon  a  pleasant 
green  plain,  celebrated  for  its  oranges,  apricots,  peaches,  pears, 
and  other  delicate  fruits,  and  saw  the  splendid  buildings  and 
monuments,  smoking  chimneys,  and  masts  of  the  ships  of  the 
town  of  Tyre,  which  was  built  upon  an  island  that  jutted  out 
into  a  wide  blue  sea  that  had  no  ending  but  the  distant  clouds 
and  sky.  It  is  not  likely  that  they  went  into  this  town  of 
famous  dyers  in  purple,  blue,  and  crimson,  and  coloured  glass- 
workers,  for  He  had  come  to  rest.  The  road  from  Tyre 
lay  along  the  edge  of  the   great  sea  to   the  Northward  for 


THE    SNOWS    OF    HERMON.  187 

twenty  miles,  with  so  many  valleys  coming  down  to  the  sea 
that  they  would  have  to  cross  seven  rivers  on  their  way,  and 
then  they  would  reach  the  second  great  seaport  called  Sidon, 
well  known  in  Jerusalem  for  its  rich  merchants,  and  for  ships 
that  sailed  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  It  is  not  likely  that  Jesus 
went  into  this  town  either,  or  saw  its  tall  houses,  its  weavers 
at  their  looms,  its  brass- workers,  or  its  gem-engravers,  for  the 
people  sent  their  art  manufactures  to  all  countries.  Here  there 
were  no  persecuting  Lawyers  nor  spying  Pharisees,  and  as  it 
was  a  delightful  time  of  the  year,  the  time  of  rich  fruits,  ripen- 
ing crops,  and  thick  shady  trees,  with  no  rain  for  months,  it 
is  likely  that  He  spent  some  time  in  Lower  Phoenicia  by  the 
cool  sea  before  turning  towards  the  hills  of  Upper  Galilee 
again. 

Remember  how  this  poor  foreign  woman  persevered  in 
begging  Jesus  to  help  her  daughter,  and  how  highly  He 
praised  her ;  and  do  not  thou  be  cast  down  by  little  difficul- 
ties which  may  oppose  thee,  but  work  on  and  trust  in  Him. 

THE   SNOWS   OF    HERMON. 

DECAPOLIS,    SUMMER,   A.D.    ;^^. 

Leaving  the  neighbourhood  of  the  town  of  Sidon  by  the 
sea,  with  its  glass  furnaces,  potteries,  and  ship-yards,  passing 
through  its  flower-gardens  and  orchards,  where  pears,  and 
peaches  and  lemons  grew  among  leaves  of  brightest  green, 
and  where  sweet  perfume  was  wafted  from  the  white  blossom 
of  the  orange  trees,  Jesus  and  His  disciples  went  Northward 
from  the  sea  to  the  hills,  crossing  many  rivers  and  climbing 
the  steep  range  of  the  Lebanon  hills,  whose  slopes  were 
covered  with  green  tapering  cedar  trees,  whence  they  could 
see  the  distant  mountain  of  Hermon,  with  its  white  peak. 
They  then  descended  from  the  hills  to  the  Lebanon  villages, 
where  they  spent  some  time,  and  walking  on,  crossed  more 
rivers  and  streams,  as  they  turned  Southwards,  so  as  to 
approach  the  Lake  of  Gennesaret  again  upon  the  opposite 
side  from  that  which  they  left.     Fording  the  pebbly  bed  of 


1 88  CITIES    OF    DECAPOLIS. 

the  Upper  Jordan,  they  passed  the  foot  of  Mount  Hermon,  the 
highest  mountain  in  the  land,  whose  crest  was  covered  with 
snow,  far  up,  sparkhng  in  the  Summer  sunshine.  Keeping 
away  from  the  town  of  Csesarea-Philippi,  the  fashionable 
capital  of  Philip's  country,  with  its  king's  palace,  hot  springs, 
temples,  grottos,  and  statues,  they  entered  the  land  of  Deca- 
polis,  so  called  because  of  the  ten  principal  cities,  Philadel- 
phia, Gadara,  Hippos,  Damascus,  Raphana,  Dio,  Pella,  Gerasa, 
Kanatha,  and  Scythopolis,  which  were  scattered  over  the  high 
country  of  green  plains  and  red  hills  to  the  East  of  the  Lake  of 
Gennesaret.  It  is  not  known  how  long  Jesus  was  away  upon 
this  journey.  Going  from  Sidon  round  by  Mount  Hermon,  and 
coming  again  to  the  Lake  on  the  Eastern  side.  He  had  to  pass 
through  wild  hilly  country,  with  marshes  and  streams  to  cross, 
and  no  regular  roads ;  and  as  He  was  in  no  haste  to  return  to 
Galilee,  He  would  take  some  weeks  to  travel  this  distance  of 
over  a  hundred  miles. 

At  one  of  the  villages  of  Decapolis,  which  was  regarded  by 
the  Jews  as  quite  a  heathen  region,  a  man  was  brought  to 
Jesus  who  was  deaf,  and  who  stammered  so  much  that  the 
people  could  not  understand  him  when  he  spoke.  His  friends 
begged  Jesus  just  to  put  His  hand  upon  him,  for  the  poor 
man  believed  that  He  could  heal  him.  A  crowd  of  curious 
people  gathered  round  Jesus  and  the  man,  as  they  stood  in 
the  hot  sunshine,  expecting  to  see  a  wonder ;  but  Jesus  was 
grieved  that  they  should  thus  come  to  gaze  at  Him  out  of 
curiosity,  as  though  He  were  a  wizard  and  not  a  Teacher,  and 
He  took  tb  j  man  away  privately  from  among  the  people  ;  and 
when  they  were  alone  by  themselves.  He  put  His  fingers  into 
the  man's  ears,  and  wetting  His  finger,  touched  his  tongue, 
and  looking  up  to  Heaven,  sighed  as  He  said — 

"  Be  opened  ! "  And  immediately  the  man  was  healed. 
Why  did  Jesus  sigh  ?  People  sigh  when  they  are  sad,  and  He 
was  grieved  and  cast  down  by  the  behaviour  of  these  people 
of  Decapohs.  When  He  returned  with  the  man,  He  told  the 
people  earnestly  not  to  speak  about  what  He  had  done,  for 
He  never  liked  them  to  speak  of  such  things ;  but  they  were 


ON    A    BROWN    HILLSIDE.  1 89 

astonished,  and  cared  so  little  for  Jesus  that  they  told  it  far 
and  wide,  wherever  they  went. 

"  He  doeth  all  things  well,"  the  people  cried ;  "He  maketh 
even  the  deaf  to  hear  and  the  dumb  to  speak."  They  did  not 
call  Him  the  "Son  of  God"  in  Decapolis.  He  was  only  a 
Wonder-worker  to  them,  and  they  followed  Him  in  crowds, 
out  of  curiosity,  the  very  thing  which  Jesus  did  not  like  them 
10  do.  Leaving  Decapolis,  He  came  to  the  land  of  Gadara 
again,  on  the  Eastern  side  of  the  Lake,  where  He  had  healed 
Legion  about  eight  months  before  and  left  him  to  teach  the 
people,  and  as  He  approached  the  Lake  there  was  a  crowd  of 
people  following  Him,  and  He  rested  on  a  hillside,  and  looked 
down  upon  the  blue  waters  dotted  here  and  there  with  the 
sails  of  fishing-boats,  and  over  at  the  towns  of  Capernaum  and 
Magdala  on  the  opposite  side,  to  which  He  was  about  to 
return.  The  news  spread  of  His  arrival,  and  the  people 
gathered  in  greater  numbers,  climbing  up  the  hillside  in  the 
hot  sunshine  with  their  sick,  and  He  healed  them.  As  each 
was  brought  to  Him  they  went  away  rejoicing,  and  the  people 
wondered  when  they  saw  the  dumb  speaking  and  the  lame 
walking.  They  did  not  know  how  to  thank  Him,  but  they 
heard  Him  mentioning  the  name  of  God  as  He  spoke  to  the 
sick,  and  as  English  crowds  cheer  when  they  are  glad,  so  did 
this  crowd  upon  the  warm  hillside  rejoice  and  glorify  the  God 
of  Jesus. 

My  child,  do  not  forget  to  thank  God  for  thy  days  of 
strength  and  happiness.  If  thou  hast  ever  been  very  ill  thou 
wilt  know  what  it  is  to  be  grateful  for  returning  strength,  and 
will  have  felt  that  it  is  a  time,  above  all,  to  remember  to  thank 
God  for  His  goodness  to  thee. 

ON   A   BROWN    HILLSIDE. 

GADARA,   SUMMER,  A.D.    33. 

Many  of  the  people  who  were  with  Jesus  on  that  sunny 
hillside  overlooking  the  Eastern  shore  of  the  blue  Lake  of 
Gennesaret,  had  followed  Him  for  three  days,  and  would  not 


190  BESIDE    THE    LAKE. 

go  away.  They  delighted  to  look  at  Him,  and  to  listen  to 
His  words.  It  was  Summer  time,  the  nights  were  short 
and  warm,  and  the  people  could  sleep  in  tents  and  even  in 
the  open  air  with  their  outer  cloaks  wrapped  round  them. 
But  they  had  no  food,  and  there  were  no  places  near,  where 
bread  could  be  bought,  and  if  the  people  were  to  start 
for  their  distant  homes,  what  with  hunger  and  thirst  and  the 
great  heat,  many  might  faint  by  the  way.  This  was  the 
second  time  that  a  crowd  had  followed  Jesus  into  a  place 
where  no  food  could  be  got,  and  would  not  go  away.  Only  a 
month  or  two  ago,  amid  the  fresh  spring  grass  at  Bethsaida- 
Julia,  He  had  fed  five  thousand  people,  who  in  return  had 
wished  to  make  Him  their  King.  But  when  asked  in  the 
Capernaum  synagogue  on  the  following  day  to  make  bread 
again.  He  had  refused.  Would  He  do  it  now  for  these  simple 
people  who  could  not  cross  the  water,  as  He  intended  to  do  ? 
There,  with  the  lovely  scenery  of  the  Lake,  its  shores,  rocks, 
cliffs,  and  the  plain  of  Gennesaret  deep  down  below  them, 
and  the  hills  and  woods  of  Nazareth  and  Carmel  spreading 
far  beyond,  under  a  blue  sky  the  hours  of  sunshine  passed, 
and  night  was  approaching. 

"  I  am  grieved  for  the  people,"  He  said,  calling  His 
disciples  aside  to  speak  to  them,  "  for  they  have  been  with 
Me  three  days  and  three  nights,  and  now  have  nothing  to 
eat.  If  I  send  them  away  hungry  to  their  homes,  they  will 
faint  on  the  road,  for  some  of  them  have  come  a  long 
way."  Thinking  He  wished  them  to  go  for  bread,  a  disciple 
replied — 

"  Whence  should  we  have  enough  loaves  in  this  lonely  place 
to  feed  so  many  people?" 

"How  many  loaves  have  you?"  Jesus  asked,  knowing  they 
would  have  some  bread  for  themselves. 

"Seven  loaves,  and  a  few  small  fishes,"  was  the  reply.  He 
bade  them  bring  what  they  had,  for  He  liked  them  to  do 
what  they  could,  and  standing  forth  that  all  might  see  Him, 
He  told  the  people  to  come  near  and  sit  down  on  the  ground, 
and  they  did  so,  sitting  not  on  green  turf  as  at  Bethsaida-Julia, 


LOAVES    AND    FISHES.  I9I 

but  on  brown  scorched  grass,  warm  rocks,  and  yellow  sand.  The 
disciples  then  arranged  the  people  in  bands  as  they  had  done 
before,  with  spaces  for  walking  about  amongst  them.  When 
they  were  all  seated,  Jesus  took  the  seven  loaves  and  gave 
thanks  to  God  before  them  all,  and  breaking  the  loaves,  gave 
them  to  His  disciples  to  give  to  the  people.  Then  taking  the 
fishes  He  blessed  them  and  gave  them  to  His  disciples  in  the 
same  manner. 

There  were  four  thousand  men  there,  besides  women  and 
children,  not  sitting  in  a  cool  green  slope  as  before,  but  on  a 
hot  hillside,  with  no  trees  to  shade  them,  in  bright  groups, 
friends  together,  families  together,  with  their  cloaks  of  blue 
and  grey,  red  and  yellow,  and  heads  covered  with  bright 
kerchiefs  to  keep  off  the  sun,  their  brown  faces  all  turned 
towards  Jesus,  as  He  sent  out  His  disciples  with  fish  and 
bread.  And  as  they  walked  down  the  narrow  yellow  lanes, 
dusky  hands  were  held  out  and  thanks  given  for  the  food,  and 
blessings  showered  on  Jesus  in  strange  excited  words.  A 
clamour  of  tongues  rose  from  the  crowd  as  they  sat  eating  and 
wondering  whence  the  food  came.  Perhaps  some  of  them  had 
been  among  those  who  were  fed  at  Bethsaida-Julia,  and  could 
tell  their  neighbours,  for  it  spread  through  the  whole  company 
that  it  was  the  work  of  Jesus.  When  the  people  had  all  been 
served,  He  and  His  disciples  ate  with  the  rest,  and  among  the 
crowd  were  mothers  and  little  children,  who  had  come  from 
their  homes  to  see  Him,  and  the  litde  ones  ate  until  they  were 
satisfied.  When  all  had  finished,  the  disciples,  this  time  with- 
out being  told,  went  through  the  people  again  gathering  up 
the  broken  pieces  of  bread  and  fish  that  were  left,  for  they 
knew  Jesus  did  not  wish  any  to  be  wasted,  and  when  the 
broken  pieces  were  all  put  into  a  heap  there  was  as  much  as 
would  have  filled  seven  willow  baskets. 

Then  Jesus  stood  up  and  told  the  people  that  they  were  all 
to  go  back  to  their  own  homes  and  villages,  for  He  was  going 
away  from  this  place.  And  the  people  obeyed  Him,  streaming 
down  the  hillside  in  every  direction,  some  hoping  to  get  home 
before  darkness  came  on.     There  was  no  talk  this  time  of 


192  THE    RICH    SADDUCEES. 

making  Him  their  King.  The  disciples  and  the  people  had 
learned  that  He  would  receive  no  such  honours,  and  that 
love  and  obedience  alone  were  what  He  would  take  from 
them. 

Word  had  been  sent  to  the  other  side  for  Peter's  large  fish- 
ing boat,  and  when  the  people  were  gone,  Jesus  and  His  dis- 
ciples went  down  to  the  shore,  and  getting  into  it,  set  sail 
across  the  Lake,  towards  the  place  whence  He  had  started 
some  weeks  before  for  Tyre,  thus  completing  the  longest 
journey  He  ever  took,  although  He  was  never  further  off  than 
two  or  three  days'  walking  distance  from  Capernaum.  He 
was  now  refreshed  and  rested,  and  better  prepared  to  meet 
the  attacks  of  His  enemies  which  He  knew  would  rise  around 
Him  again,  as  soon  as  they  heard  of  His  return. 

Peter's  boat,  with  its  great  brown  sail,  was  not  long  in 
carrying  Jesus  and  His  disciples  across  the  Lake,  and  before 
the  anchor  was  thrown  out,  there  were  a  number  of  people 
waiting  on  the  beach  to  meet  Him.  He  landed  on  a  rocky 
shore,  under  high  towering  cliffs,  between  the  towns  of  Mag- 
dala  and  Dalmanutha,  and  His  old  enemies,  the  Pharisees, 
were  out  spying  His  movements.  They  had  made  friends 
of  the  wild  Herodians,  and  found  them  of  little  use,  but  there 
were  rich  and  powerful  men,  called  Sadducees,  who  did  not 
care  much  about  religion,  but  who  were  against  any  man  who 
wished  to  take  away  their  power,  and  with  them  the  Pharisees 
now  made  friends,  although  the  Sadducees  hated  and  ridiculed 
the  Pharisees.  When  Jesus  returned,  these  Sadducees  were 
ready,  waiting  =\o  press  Him  also  to  work  a  wonder  as  a  proof 
that  He  was  from  God,  a  thing  which  they  knew  He  would  not 
do,  and  they  believed  they  could  thus  set  the  people  against 
Him.  Before  He  had  even  walked  into  the  town,  the  Sad- 
ducees and  Pharisees  met  Him  on  the  road,  and  for  the 
first  time  He  knew  that  these  proud  and  powerful  men  had 
combined  with  the  Pharisees  against  Him.  When  they  saw 
the  common  people  glad  to  meet  Him,  they  came  forward,  and 
ordering  the  people  to  stand  aside,  called  upon  Him*  to  work 
a  wonder  before  them. 


MEN    LIKE    TREES    WALKING.  1 93 

"  Show  us  a  sign,"  they  said,  "  that  Thou  art  from  God," 
and,  knowing  He  would  not  do  so,  they  were  bold  and 
threatening.  Now  this  grieved  Him  much,  for  He  had  often 
told  the  Pharisees  that  He  would  not  work  a  sign,  and  He 
sighed  deeply  as  He  looked  around  on  the  people.  His 
answer  was  similar  to  what  He  had  given  the  Pharisees 
before.  With  memories  of  His  boyhood  among  the  hills  at 
Nazareth,  when  He  used  to  climb  the  grassy  slopes  to  watch 
the  crimson  clouds  of  evening  in  the  skies,  He  replied — 

"  In  the  evening  you  say  it  will  be  fine  weather  to-morrow, 
for  the  clouds  are  red,  and  in  the  morning  you  say  it  will  be 
bad  weather  to-day,  for  the  clouds  are  red  and  threatening. 
You  Sadducees  understand  the  look  of  the  clouds,  but  you  do 
not  understand  the  signs  of  the  present  time.  You  are 
wicked  men,  asking  Me  to  work  a  wonder  as  a  sign  to  please 
you,  but  no  sign  shall  be  given  you  but  the  sign  of  Jonah." 
And  again  He  refused,  and  turning  from  them,  walked  away 
with  His  disciples  and  the  friends  who  had  come  to  meet 
Him.  Then  the  Sadducees  and  Pharisees  would  tell  the 
crowd  that  He  was  not  from  God,  since  He  would  not  work 
a  wonder  when  they  asked  Him ;  but  He  paid  no  further 
heed  to  them. 

And  when  thou  thinkest  of  Jesus,  remember  His  kindness 
to  the  hungry  children  and  fathers  and  mothers  who  had 
followed  Him  out  from  their  homes  to  the  warm  hill  beside 
the  blue  Lake  at  Gadara. 


MEN   LIKE  TREES   WALKING. 

BETHSAmA,    SUMMER,   A.D.    33. 

Jesus  found,  that  owing  to  the  opposition  of  His  enemies, 
it  was  better  He  should  not  remain  at  the  place  where  He 
had  landed,  on  the  West  side  of  the  Lake  of  Gennesaret,  and, 
after  a  short  time,  He  went  into  the  boat  again  with  His 
disciples  to  sail  to  another  place.  The  great  brown  sail  was 
hoisted  to  the  top  of  the  mast,  the  anchor  taken  in,  and  once 
more  they  were  gliding  along  the  blue  Lake,  under  the  wooded 


194  BEWARE    OF    WICKED    WORDS. 

cliffs  of  Magdala  where  the  green  branches  dipped  into  the 
water,  skirting  the  beach  of  white  shells  close  to  the  fruit- 
ful plain  of  Gennesaret  with  the  tree-clad  hills  behind,  and 
heading  away  towards  the  North  end  of  the  Lake.  He  felt 
sad,  as  He  looked  out  upon  the  shore  which  He  was  leaving, 
and  thought  of  the  wicked  combination  of  the  Pharisees  and 
Sadducees,  and  how  constantly  they  pressed  Him  to  do  that 
which  He  would  never  do,  to  show,  at  their  request,  by  a  won- 
derful sign,  that  He  was  from  God.  How  cruel  and  deter- 
mined were  they  to  oppose  Him  and  tell  the  people  false 
things  !  And  as  He  sat  with  the  glow  of  the  setting  sun  light- 
ing up  the  brown  sail,  with  the  purple  haze  of  evening  settling 
upon  the  hills,  and  distant  sounds  coming  softly  from  the 
shore,  He  said  to  His  disciples  in  a  warning  voice — 

"  Take  care  !  beware  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and 
Sadducees,  and  the  leaven  of  King  Antipas."  By  "  leaven," 
He  meant  to  beware  of  the  words  of  these  wicked  men, 
because  wicked  words  spread  like  leaven.  The  disciples,  in 
their  hurry,  had  forgotten  to  take  enough  bread  in  the  boat, 
having  only  one  loaf  for  them  all ;  and  not  understanding 
Him,  they  began  to  whisper  together  that  He  was  displeased 
with  them  for  forgetting  bread.     But  Jesus  overheard  them. 

"  Oh  !  you  men  of  little  trust ! "  He  exclaimed  sadly, 
*'  Why  do  you  talk  with  each  other  because  you  have  no  bread  ? 
Do  you  not  see,  do  you  not  understand,  have  your  hearts 
become  hard  ?  Can  you  not  see  with  your  eyes  and  hear  with 
your  ears,  and  do  you  not  remember?  When  I  divided  five 
loaves  among  five  thousand  men,  how  many  baskets  full  of 
broken  pieces  did  you  take  up  ?  " 

"Twelve  baskets  full,"  the  disciples  answered  humbly. 
And  He  went  on — 

"And  when  I  divided  the  seven  loaves  among  four 
thousand  men  yesterday,  how  many  baskets  did  you  take 
up?" 

"  Seven  baskets  full,"  they  answered  again. 

"  Then  why  do  you  not  yet  understand  ?  "  He  continued. 
"  How  is  it  that  you  do  not  see  that  I  speak  to  you  not  about 


LEADING   THE    BLIND.  I95 

leaven,  but  about  words.  Beware,  therefore,  of  the  words  of 
these  wicked  men."  The  disciples  then  understood  that  He 
spoke  of  the  teaching  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees,  and 
they  were  sorry  when  they  thought  of  the  little  and  distrust- 
ful meaning  which  they  had  put  upon  His  words.  And  again 
all  was  silent,  save  the  plashing  of  the  water  at  the  bow  of  the 
boat  and  the  creaking  of  the  sail  on  the  mast.  Skirting  the 
North-western  shores,  they  sailed  on  in  the  calm  of  evening 
past  Magdala,  Capernaum,  and  the  other  towns,  wljiere  the 
people  recognised  Peter's  boat  as  it  went  by,  and  knew  that 
Jesus  had  returned ;  but  Peter  steered  for  the  place  where  the 
river  Jordan  enters  the  Lake  at  its  Northern  end,  and  sailing 
into  the  river  as  far  as  they  could  go,  they  took  down  the  sail 
and  cast  anchor  at  the  green  Western  bank.  Landing  from 
the  boat,  they  walked  up  to  the  quiet  little  village  of  Beth- 
saida,  whose  houses  shone  white  upon  the  hillside,  there  to 
stay  for  a  few  days. 

Like  those  of  Decapolis,  the  people  were  very  curious  to 
see  Jesus  perform  some  wonder,  for  they  knew  of  Him  feed- 
ing five  thousand  people  on  the  plain  of  Bataiah  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river  Jordan,  and  that  He  healed  the  sick ;  and 
one  day,  when  he  was  teaching  in  the  open  air  in  the  village, 
they  brought  a  blind  man,  and  asked  Him  to  touch  him  ;  then 
they  stood  round,  expecting  the  wonder  to  be  performed. 
Now  it  grieved  Jesus  that  these  people  should  be  so  anxious 
to  see  a  wonder,  and  yet  He  could  not  leave  the  poor  man 
blind.  I  know  not  what  He  said  to  the  man,  but  He  took 
him  by  the  hand  and  asked  him  to  come  aside  with  Him,  just 
as  He  did  the  deaf  man  in  Decapolis.  The  people  were  dis- 
appointed ;  but  Jesus  went  away  from  the  crowd,  gently  lead- 
ing the  way  down  the  main  street  of  the  village,  with  the  blind 
man's  hand  in  His,  who  followed  on,  not  knowing  whither  he 
was  going,  but  listening  to  His  words  and  holding  by  Him. 
The  people  saw  them  from  their  doors  and  houses  and  shops, 
as  they  passed  by  in  the  sunshine  ;  and  children  ran  to  gaze  at 
them  with  loving  eyes,  for  they  knew  the  face  of  the  young 
Countryman,  and  marked  the  sightless  eyeballs  of  the  blind 


196  SEEST    THOU    ANYTHING? 

man ;  and  while  many  guessed  what  was  about  to  happen,  no 
one  followed  them.  At  length  they  passed  out  by  the  gate  in 
the  village  walls,  and  walked  on  until  they  were  alone  in  the 
fields,  and  then  Jesus  stopped. 

We  do  not  know  what  He  said,  or  whether  the  man  told 
Him  that  when  he  was  a  child  he  could  see,  and  knew 
what  flowers  and  fields  and  trees  and  men  were  like,  and 
that  he  had  lost  his  sight,  perhaps  in  the  common  way,  by 
sand  blowing  into  his  eyes.  Jesus  did  not  heal  him  at  once, 
but  spitting  upon  his  eyes,  He  put  His  hands  over  them,  and 
said — 

"Seest  thou  anything?  " 

"  I  see  men  !  for  I  see  them  Hke  trees  walking  !  "  the  man 
exclaimed  joyfully,  looking  towards  the  village.  He  had  not 
forgotten  the  shapes  of  men,  for  blind  men  do  not  forget  the 
world  of  sunshine  which  they  once  knew,  though  they  live  in 
darkness.  Jesus  put  His  hands  again  over  his  eyes,  and  when 
He  took  them  away  the  man  looked  earnestly  towards  the 
village,  and  he  could  see  quite  well ;  and  thanked  Jesus  over 
and  over  again,  and  wished  to  go  back  to  the  village  to  show 
what  He  had  done  for  him  ;  but  Jesus  did  not  wish  that, 
for  He  never  liked  the  people  to  talk  of  His  wonders. 
He  wished  to  heal  the  poor  man,  but  not  to  create  astonish- 
ment among  the  villagers ;  and  finding  that  the  man  did  not 
live  in  the  village.  He  told  Him  to  go  away  home  at  once  and 
tell  no  one  what  He  had  done,  adding  particularly — 

"  Do  not  even  go  into  the  village."  And  so  they  parted, 
the  one  tf  go  home  rejoicing,  the  other  to  return  quietly  to 
the  village  and  His  disciples ;  while  the  people,  who  expected 
to  see  a  sight  when  they  came  back,  saw  only  the  young 
Countryman  returning  up  the  street  alone ;  and  no  one  asked 
Him  what  had  become  of  the  Wind  man. 

What  Jesus  told  His  disciples  in  the  boat  is  also  for  thee. 
Beware  of  wicked  words,  for  they  spread  quickly,  and  entering 
the  mind,  make  wicked  thoughts.  If  thou  wouldst  check 
this,  refuse  to  listen  to  wicked  words,  for  thy  mind  is  the 
curtained  and  holy  temple  wherein  dwells  the  Spirit  of  God — 
the  pure,  the  heavenly  guide  of  thy  young  life. 


WHO    AM    I?  197 

WHO    AM    I? 

NEAR   C^SAREA    PHILIPPI,    SUMMER,   A.D.    33. 

From  the  village  of  Bethsaida,  Jesus  went  away  with  His 
disciples  back  into  the  strange  country  through  which  they  had 
lately  passed  on  their  road  from  Tyre  and  Sidon.  Walking 
Northwards  from  the  Lake  of  Gennesaret,  they  kept  along 
by  the  river  Jordan  with  its  overhanging  trees  and  tall  green 
canes,  past  waterfalls  and  rapids ;  past  the  small  Lake  Merom, 
round  whose  marshy  shores  roamed  herds  of  black  buffaloes 
among  thickets  of  papyrus  reeds  whose  white  flowering 
tops  waved  higher  than  a  man's  head.  They  went  up 
towards  the  high  country  near  the  foot  of  Mount  Hermon, 
where  was  the  gay  town  of  Caesarea  Philippi,  the  favourite 
town  of  King  Philip,  who  had  built  it  and  called  it  after  the 
Roman  Emperor  Caesar,  and  himself.  It  was  built  on  a 
rocky  terrace  of  the  great  mountain,  with  a  splendid  view  of 
the  beautiful  country  through  which  the  Jordan,  springing 
from  fountains  of  clear  water  in  a  huge  cave  under  a  hill, 
wanders  like  bands  of  silver  through  the  marshy  plains  below. 
And  as  Jesus  walked,  along  the  paved  Roman  road  that  led 
across  the  Jordan  bridge  and  towards  the  city,  He  saw, 
waving  in  the  valleys  and  plains  below,  mulberry,  oak,  and 
plane  trees,  amid  richly  flowering  honeysuckle,  clematis, 
oleander,  and  wild  roses ;  while  the  wheat  crops  were  already 
yellow  in  the  fields,  some  of  which  were  being  reaped.  Caesarea 
Philippi  was  only  twenty  miles  from  the  Lake  of  Gennesaret, 
and  as  Jesus  walked.  He  taught  in  the  villages  by  the  way,  for 
the  Sadducees  who  had  caused  Him  to  leave  Capernaum  did 
not  follow  Him  out  of  Galilee.  He  even  went  into  Caesarea 
Philippi  itself,  that  city  of  palaces,  theatres,  baths,  statues, 
and  grottos ;  the  fashionable  place  to  which  the  rich  people 
came  at  that  time  of  the  year,  when  the  midsummer  heat 
about  the  Lake  of  Gennesaret  was  unbearable.  But  there 
were  many  foreigners  in  the  town,  and  He  does  not  seem  to 
have  attracted  attention. 

Jesus  had  now  been  a  Teacher  for  two  and  a  half  years,  and 


198  THOU    ART    A    PROPHET. 

He  was  anxious  about  the  result  of  all  His  work.  He 
thought  of  the  shouts  and  exclamations  of  the  crowds  that  had 
followed  Him  :  of  the  persecuting  Pharisees  who  had  closed 
the  churches  against  Him  and  roused  the  Sadducees,  so  that 
He  could  not  return  in  peace  to  Capernaum.  He  thought 
also  of  the  work  He  had  yet  to  do,  and  that  soon  it  would  all 
be  over.  Driven  away  from  His  own  lovely  Galilee,  in  His 
recent  wanderings  among  strange  villages,  He  had  had  sad 
reflections,  and  now  He  resolved  to  ask  His  disciples  what  the 
people  thought  and  said  about  Him.  Retiring  with  them  to 
the  quiet  of  a  lonely  hill.  He  prayed  to  His  Father  in  Heaven 
to  help  Him  at  this  time,  for  He  had  to  decide  whether  He 
should  remain  any  longer  in  safety  in  strange  places  and 
villages,  or  return  to  the  Lake  towns,  and  face  the  violence  of 
the  powerful  Sadducees. 

"Whom  do  the  people  say  that  I  am?"  He  asked  His 
disciples  one  day.  Now  they  had  heard  the  people  saying  a 
great  many  things,  and  one  answered — 

"  Some  think  Thou  art  John  the  Baptist  come  alive  again  ;  " 
another  replied,  "  Some  think  Thou  art  the  old  prophet  Elijah 
returned  to  the  earth ;  "  and  another  said,  "  They  say  Thou 
art  the  prophet  Jeremiah."  "  Other  people  say  that  Thou  art 
certainly  one  of  the  old  prophets  risen  again  from  the  dead," 
said  another.  None  of  the  people  said  that  He  was  the 
Christ.  Thus,  after  all  His  teaching,  healing,  travels,  and 
wonders,  He  was  told  that  the  people  did  not  think  He  was 
Jesus  the  Christ,  but  only  such  an  One  as  the  world  had  seen 
before.  This  was  a  great  disappointment,  and  with  downcast 
spirit  Jesus  began  to  wonder  what  His  own  disciples  thought  of 
Him,  for  He  had  never  asked  them  the  question.  Looking 
earnestly  at  them  with  His  clear  dark  eyes,  He  said — 

"  Whom  do  you  say  that  I  am  ? "  The  answer  would 
either  gla.dden  or  grieve  Him.  Peter  saw  the  distress  and 
disappointment  of  his  young  Master.  The  honest  warm 
heart  of  the  rugged  fisherman  had  no  doubt,  and  the  en- 
thusiasm of  his  heart  leapt  up  to  his  Hps  in  words  of  rare 
grandeur.     Looking  into  the  face  of  the  downspirited  young 


SON    OF    THE    LIVING    GOD.  1 99 

Carpenter,  whose  father,  whose  mother,  whose  brothers  and 
sisters  he  knew,  who  was  clothed  in  a  plain  countryman's 
clothes  like  his  own,  and  who  was  compelled  by  the  Sad- 
ducees  to  leave  His  favourite  town  of  Capernaum,  He  answered 
firmly — 

"  Thou  art  the  Christy  the  Son  of  the  living  God^  The 
words  rejoiced  the  heart  of  Jesus. 

"  Blessed  art  thou,  Peter,"  He  replied  earnestly,  "  for  no  man 
hath  told  thee  this,  but  My  Father  in  Heaven."  When  many 
people  left  Him  at  Capernaum,  He  had  told  His  disciples 
that  only  the  Spirit  of  God  could  draw  men  to  Him,  and  now 
He  said  that  Peter's  belief  was  put  into  his  heart  by  God's 
own  Spirit.  Still  speaking  to  Peter,  while  the  small  band  of 
disciples  stood  listening  earnestly,  Jesus  went  on  to  say — 

"  And  I  also  tell  thee  that  thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this 
rock  I  will  build  My  church,  and  the  gates  of  Hades  shall 
not  prevail  against  it."  He  felt  that  He  had  now  good  cause 
for  confidence  and  joy.  Peter  had  grasped  the  great  truth 
of  His  life,  that  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God  will  come  to  men 
and  divell  in  them,  and  reveal  the  truth  to  them,  and  He  joy- 
fully exclaimed  that  upon  this  great  and  blessed  fact,  as 
upon  a  rock,  would  rise  a  spiritual  church.  His  Kingdom  of 
Heaven  in  the  world,  into  which  no  wickedness  should  come, 
for  none  should  be  in  it  but  those  who  were  brought  thither 
by  the  Spirit's  influence.  Wicked  persons  may,  and  do  be- 
come members  of  many  churches  by  passing  examinations 
and  enrolling  their  names ;  but  there  is  no  test  or  certificate 
of  entrance  into  His  Kingdom,  the  spiritual  church  of  Jesus, 
save  the  answer  of  a  good  conscience  toward  God.  All 
are  free  to  enter,  poor  or  rich,  and  no  human  devices  can 
put  men  in  or  keep  men  out,  for  the  communications  of  the 
Spirit  of  God  to  man's  spirit  are  revealed  in  secret,  spirit 
answering  to  spirit,  and  the  honesty  of  a  man's  goodness  is 
known  to  God  alone.  And  yet  no  words  of  Jesus  have  caused 
greater  bitterness  and  want  of  charity  among  His  followers  by 
the  imposition  of  checks  and  tests  upon  each  other,  trying 
to  test  that  which  cannot  be  tested,  than  those  words  to  Peter. 


200  GET    THEE    BEHIND    ME,    TEMPTER ! 

He  further  said,  "  I  will  give  thee  the  keys  of  Heaven, 
and  whatever  thou  shalt  bind  or  loose  on  earth  shall  be 
bound  or  loosed  in  Heaven."  It  is  difficult,  if  not  impossible, 
to  understand  these  words.  The  Pharisaic  teachers  often 
spoke  of  binding  and  loosing  people,  but  it  is  nowhere  written 
that  Peter  ever  exercised  a  power  like  this.  Jesus  did  not 
tell  him  that  he  would  have  power  to  forgive  men's  sins. 
This  was  a  power  which  Jesus  very  rarely  exercised;  and 
without  words  plainly  saying  so,  it  cannot  be  assumed  that 
He  gave  such  power  to  Peter,  for  we  never  read  of  Peter 
forgiving  sins.  Whatever  power  Jesus  may  have  given 
Peter  at  this  time.  He  did  not  tell  him  that  He  would  be 
able  to  give  it  to  others,  not  even  to  the  other  disciples. 
After  these  words  to  Peter,  Jesus  gave  them  all  strict  and 
earnest  orders  that  they  were  not  at  present  to  tell  any  one 
that  he  was  the  Christ.  Why  He  did  so  I  cannot  tell; 
possibly  He  wished  to  tell  the  people  Himself  in  His  own 
way. 

Thou  hast  heard  of  the  joy  with  which  Jesus  heard  Peter 
say  that  He  was  "  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,"  for  He  knew 
that  the  Spirit  of  God  had  made  it  known  to  Peter.  Thou, 
my  child,  must  search  thy  heart,  and  find  whether  thou  also 
canst  give  the  same  answer,  which  will  mark  thee  as  a  little 
child  of  light,  one  of  the  children  of  His  Kingdom  of  Heaven 
in  the  world. 


GJJT   THEE   BEHIND   ME,   TEMPTER! 

NEAR   C^SAREA   PHILIPPI,    SUMMER,   A.D.    ^^. 

Jesus  was  satisfied.  Peter's  answer  that  he  believed  He 
was  the  Christ,  He  accepted  for  all  the  disciples,  for  Peter 
was  the  eldest,  and  their  steersman,  leader,  spokesman.  But 
before  they  came  down  from  the  hill  near  Csesarea  Philippi, 
Jesus  told  them  something  which  filled  them  with  disappoint- 
ment, wonder,  and  alarm.  Hitherto  He  had  taught  them  that 
He  was  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God  from  Heaven,  the  long  expected 


SPEAKING    OF    HIS    DEATH.  20I 

Christ,  the  hope  of  their  nation  ;  but  now,  on  this  lonely  hill- 
side, far  away  from  the  people.  He  told  them  plainly  for  the 
first  time  the  awful  truth  that  He  would  be  killed.  He  knew 
that  the  fierce  hatred  of  the  priests  and  Pharisees  and  Sad- 
ducees  would  end  in  His  being  put  to  death.  And  that  His 
disciples  might  be  prepared,  and  not  scattered  and  put  down 
when  it  happened,  Jesus  told  them  what  would  come,  and 
that  He  had  no  fear  of  defeat,  for  His  death  would  only  make 
His  victory  greater.  As  these  young  men  stood  round  Him, 
on  the  hillside,  Hstening  with  sadness  and  perplexity  in  their 
faces,  their  native  land  spreading  in  beauty  and  sunshine 
before  them,  they  heard  Jesus  say  that  after  a  short  time  they 
would  go  back  to  Jerusalem,  that  there  He  would  suffer  much 
from  the  head  priests.  Lawyers,  and  Sadducee  Rulers,  that 
they  would  reject  Him,  and  put  Him  to  death,  and  that  in 
three  days  He  would  rise  again. 

The  idea  of  Jesus,  their  Leader  being  killed,  was  most 
alarming  to  them  all.  Peter  had  just  said  that  He  was  the 
Christ !  and  the  disciples  believed,  as  all  Jews  had  been 
taught  to  believe,  that  when  the  promised  Christ  came, 
He  would  be  their  King,  forever,  would  sit  upon  Herod's 
throne  of  ivory  and  gold,  wear  his  crown,  and  put  down  all 
enemies.  But  now  He  told  them  He  would  soon  be  killed. 
They  could  not  believe  it,  for  He  had  only  lately  been 
telling  them,  over  and  over  again,  how  His  great  Kingdom 
of  Heaven  would  spread  quickly.  They  thought  He  was  de- 
pressed and  disappointed  through  the  harsh  treatment  He  had 
received  and  was  quite  mistaken  in  thinking  any  one  would 
kill  Him.  But,  when  they  came  down  from  the  hill  and  went 
again  among  the  villages,  Jesus  spoke  openly  of  His  coming 
death,  so  that  the  people  heard  Him.  Peter  thought  this  very 
unwise,  for  he  believed  Jesus  need  not  go  to  Jerusalem,  unless 
He  liked,  and  would  not  be  killed  even  if  He  did  go  ;  and  he 
also  believed  that  what  his  young  Master  required  was  to  be 
thoroughly  roused  from  His  despondency,  and  encouraged  by 
His  disciples  to  look  for  the  success  of  His  Kingdom.  Peter 
had  just  been  told  that  he  was  favoured  of  God,  and  it  made 


202  GAIN    THE    WHOLE    WORLD  ! 

him  more  confident,  so  he  took  Jesus  by  the  hand  and  led 
Him  aside  from  the  people  to  a  place  where  only  the  disciples 
could  hear  what  he  said  to  Him. 

"  Far  be  it  from  Thee,  Master,  this  shall  never  happen  to 
Thee,"  he  exclaimed  in  a  confident  voice.  He  forgot  in  his 
enthusiasm  and  love  for  his  young  Master,  that  in  this  rash 
speech  he  was  presuming  to  know  more  than  Jesus.  But 
Jesus  turned  upon  him  as  he  walked  at  His  side,  and  answered 
him  before  all  the  other  disciples  in  a  tone  which  astonished 
them — 

"  Get  thee  behind  Me,  tempter  !  "  He  exclaimed.  "  Thou 
art  a  snare  to  Me,  for  thou  dost  not  care  for  the  things  of 
God,  but  only  for  the  things  of  men."  Peter  was  thinking  of 
a  worldly  kingdom,  not  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  and  Jesus 
called  him  a  tempter  ! — adversary,  for  suggesting  that  He 
should  avoid  death.  It  was  a  severe  reprimand  to  be  told 
that  in  wishing  Jesus  to  live  and  be  a  great  world's  King, 
Peter  was  not  His  friend,  but  His  adversary.  Calling  the 
people  to  Him,  Jesus  spoke  to  them  about  the  mistaken 
worldly  spirit  which  Peter  had  shown,  while  the  disciples 
stood  by  and  hstened.  And  as  He  spoke  they  heard  Him 
say  that  they  might  banish  all  thoughts  of  rank,  money,  honour, 
power,  in  following  Him,  and  that  they  must  rather  expect 
to  be  disliked  and  put  down,  and  to  hear  the  name  of  their 
young  Master  condemned,  but  that  in  Heaven  they  would  be 
rewarded.  They  were  to  deny  their  own  wishes  and  obey 
His,  and  He  uttered  a  saying  which  should  be  remembered 
as  a  safegua,  i  against  the  temptation  to  money-making  in 
business,  and  love  of  wealth,  which  often  grows  on  young 
people. 

"If  any  man  wisheth  to  follow  Me,"  He  said,  "let  him  be 
self-denying  in  spirit  and  come  after  Me.  For,  what  shall  a 
man  profit  if  he  gam  the  whole  wo7'ld  and  lose  his  own  sotd? 
Or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul  ?  Whoever 
shall  save  his  hfe  here,  shall  lose  it  in  Heaven,  and  whoever  shall 
lose  his  life  here  for  My  sake  shall  save  it  in  Heaven.  Who- 
ever shall  be  ashamed  of  Me  and  of  My  words  at  this  wicked 


HIS    FACE    DID    SHINE    AS    THE    SUN.  203 

time,  of  him  shall  I  be  ashamed  when  I  come  in  the  glory  of 
My  Father  in  Heaven  and  His  holy  angels,  to  reward  every 
one  according  as  he  hath  done  good  or  bad."  How  beauti- 
fully does  He  bring  in  these  shining  ones,  the  angels,  the 
friends  of  litde  children,  with  their  white  wings  and  lovely 
faces  !  And  He  finished  with  these  strange  words,  which 
they  could  not  understand — 

"  I  tell  you  truly,  some  of  them  who  stand  here  shall  not 
die  till  they  have  seen  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  come  with 
power."  They  would  see  men  coming  into  His  beautiful 
Kingdom  of  Heaven  in  the  world,  men  who  learned  to  know 
and  obey  God.  But  the  disciples  thought  He  meant  a 
kingdom  of  armies,  riches,  and  honours,  like  that  of  other 
kings. 

I  trust  thou  wilt  never  be  ashamed  of  Jesus,  but  if  thou 
shouldst  ever  feel  tempted  to  think  lightly  or  unlovingly  of 
Him,  or  of  what  He  said  and  did,  remember  His  words, 
"  Get  thee  behind  Me,  tempter  ! "  for  they  will  guard  the 
purity  of  thy  mind  so  that  such  thoughts  may  not  return 
again. 

HIS   FACE   DID   SHINE   AS   THE   SUN. 

MOUNT    HERMON,    AUTUMN,    A.D.    ^^. 

Jesus  remained  for  a  week  among  the  villages  near  Caesarea 
Philippi,  seeing  the  villagers  cutting  down  the  ripe  grain,  and 
preparing  their  wine  vats  and  olive  presses  for  the  fruit-gather- 
ing, which  was  now  approaching,  and  then  going  further  North, 
He  came  nearer  to  Mount  Hermon,  which  is  so  very  high  that 
even  in  Summer  it  still  keeps  its  white  cap  of  snow.  Again  He 
wished  to  retire  to  a  hill  to  pray,  and  this  time  He  chose  the 
slopes  of  Hermon.  TelHng  the  other  disciples  to  wait  for  Him 
below,  He  took  Peter  and  the  brothers  James  and  John  up 
the  mountain  with  Him.  It  was  evening  when  they  left  the 
village,  and  as  they  climbed  the  slopes  and  terraces,  they  saw 
the  red  sun  going  down  far  over  the  Lebanon  Hills ;  and  the 
village  looked  like  a  small  white  speck  in  the  valley  belowr 


204        GOOD  FOR  US  TO  BE  HERE. 

They  did  not  climb  to  the  top  of  Hermon,  but  rested  on  one 
of  the  lower  peaks,  very  high  and  bare,  to  stay  there  all  night. 
Soon  the  growing  shadows  hid  the  lower  world,  blending  trees 
and  rocks  in  gloomy  greyness,  then  darkness  surrounded  them, 
and  they  could  no  longer  see  to  move  about.  On  that  high 
mountain  they  were  far  up  in  the  air,  and  when  the  red 
planets  and  flashing  stars  came  out  in  the  deep  blue  sky,  they 
s'eemed  not  only  to  have  the  stars  above  them,  but  all 
around  them.  As  the  night  wore  on,  the  flashing  moon  rose 
above  the  world,  and  passed  into  the  sparkling  skies  until  it 
hung  a  cold  pure  lamp  over  the  mountain,  and  the  Autumn 
wind  blew  chilly  upon  them.  The  disciples  were  not  afraid, 
for  they  were  men  accustomed  to  the  hills  at  night. 

With  sweet  sensitiveness,  Jesus  withdrew  a  httle  way  that 
He  might  pray  unheard,  save  by  His  Father  in  Heaven,  and 
the  three  disciples,  wrapping  themselves  in  their  heavy  cloaks, 
lay  down  to  wait,  and,  wearied  with  their  day's  work,  fell 
asleep.  While  they  slept  they  had  a  vision.  A  change  came 
over  Jesus.  As  He  prayed.  His  face  shone  like  the  sun,  and 
His  garments  became  white  as  dazzling  snow,  and  two  men  in 
the  glory  of  Heaven  stood  beside  Him ;  Moses,  the  old  pro- 
phet, who  led  the  Jews  out  of  Egypt,  and  who  had  been  dead 
for  fifteen  hundred  years,  and  Elijah,  another  old  prophet,  who 
was  taken  up  into  Heaven  a  thousand  years  before,  neither  of 
whom  had  ever  been  seen  dead.  The  disciples  awoke  with  a 
start,  and  were  amazed  to  see  a  dazzling  light  surrounding 
Jesus  and  the  two  men.  They  listened  and  heard  them  talk- 
ing of  His.  leath  ;  and  there  upon  that  lonely  mountain  these 
three  fishermen  saw  Jesus  glorified.  With  eyes  dazzled,  they 
lay  and  watched  and  listened,  but  the  time  came  when  Moses 
and  Elijah  were  about  to  go  away,  and  Peter  thought  he 
should  do  something,  and,  rising  from  the  ground,  he  went 
towards  them,  saying — 

"  Master,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here.  If  Thou  wilt,  I  will 
make  here  three  bowers  of  branches,  one  for  Thee,  one  for 
Moses,  and  one  for  Elijah."  He  did  not  think  what  he  was 
saying,  and  it  is  difficult  to  know  what  use  he  intended  to 


A    GOLDEN    CLOUD.  205 

make  of  the  bowers.  No  one  answered  him,  for,  while  he  was 
speaking,  a  golden  cloud,  banishing  the  midnight  darkness, 
came  over  them  all,  and  they  were  covered  with  the  brightness 
of  its  glory,  and  the  disciples  were  afraid  as  they  entered  the 
cloud,  and  heard  a  voice  from  the  midst  of  it,  saying  again 
what  was  said  when  Jesus  was  baptized  in  the  Jordan — 

"This  is  My  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased. 
Hear  Him."  They  were  greatly  afraid,  and  Peter  felt  rebuked 
for  his  foolishness ;  for  it  was  not  a  man's  voice  that  spoke, 
and  they  all  fell  to  the  ground  and  hid  their  faces  from  the 
glory  which  shone  upon  them,  and  lay  there,  not  daring  to 
rise  or  even  to  look  up,  till  one  of  them  felt  a  hand  laid  upon 
him,  and  a  voice,  which  he  knew  to  be  the  voice  of  Jesus. 

"  Rise,  and  be  not  afraid,"  He  said.  And  they  looked  up, 
expecting  to  have  their  eyes  again  pained  and  dazzled  with  the 
bright  light,  but  the  strangers  and  the  golden  cloud  were  gone, 
and  they  saw  nothing  between  them  and  the  silent  stars  but 
the  figure  of  Jesus  standing  alone.  They  rose  as  He  bade 
them,  but  it  was  some  time  before  they  recovered  from  their 
terror,  and  were  able  to  talk  with  Him.  They  remained  on 
the  mountain  till  fringes  of  rose  along  the  Eastern  clouds  told 
them  that  the  day  was  breaking,  and  in  the  growing  light  of 
morning  they  went  down  the  rugged  hill-path,  and,  as  they 
went,  they  talked  about  the  wonderful  vision  of  the  night. 
But,  as  usual,  Jesus  told  them  they  were  not  to  speak  of  it  to 
others. 

"  Tell  the  vision  to  no  one,"  He  said,  "  until  I  am  risen  from 
the  dead."  But  talking  among  themselves,  they  asked  each 
other  what  Jesus  meant  by  "  rising  from  the  dead,"  for  this 
was  the  first  time  He  had  plainly  spoken  of  such  a  thing,  and 
it  seemed  to  be  quite  opposed  to  what  their  early  teachers  had 
taught  them,  for  they  said  that  Elijah  must  come  before  The 
Christ  and  the  rising  from  the  dead,  and  they  asked  Him — 

"Why  do  the  teachers  say  that  Elijah  must  first  come?" 
To  which  He  replied — 

"  Truly,  Elijah  should  come  to  restore  all  things,  but  I  tell 
you  that  he  hath  come,  and  is  gone,  and  the  people  did  not 


206  LORD,    I    BELIEVE. 

know  him,  but  did  to  him  whatever  they  chose.  And  I  also 
shall  suffer  many  things,  and  be  thought  nothing  of."  The 
disciples  then  knew  that  when  He  spoke  of  Elijah  coming,  He 
meant  John  the  Baptist,  who  had  prepared  the  people  for 
Jesus,  and  who  was  killed  by  King  Antipas. 

The  pale  morning  light  had  grown  into  full  day  before  they 
came  down  to  the  nine  disciples,  who  were  waiting  on  the 
vine-hung  terraces  below.  They  did  not  tell  them  of  the 
vision  of  glory  which  they  had  seen  on  the  mountain,  while 
the  others  were  asleep  in  the  village ;  for,  as  Jesus  had  com- 
manded them  when  descending  the  hill,  Peter,  James,  and 
John  told  no  one  of  it  until  their  dear  young  Master  was  dead 
and  risen  again. 

When  thou  seest  a  mist  of  gold  upon  the  hills  at  evening, 
or  gazest  through  the  crimson  clouds  of  sunset,  that  seem  to 
hang  like  fiery  curtains  at  the  door  of  Heaven,  remember  the 
vision  which  scattered  the  darkness  on  that  lonely  mountain 
when  Jesus  was  seen  in  His  glory. 


LORD,   I   BELIEVE. 

CESAREAN  VILLAGE,   AUTUMN,   A.D.   33. 

As  Jesus  and  His  three  disciples  walked  towards  the 
Caesarean  village  to  join  the  other  disciples  in  the  morning 
after  the  vision  on  Mount  Hermon,  they  saw  from  a  crowd  of 
people  that  there  was  something  wrong,  and  hastened  on.  As 
they  approached,  the  people  recognised  Jesus,  and  came 
running  to  neet  Him,  exclaiming  that  they  were  glad  He 
had  come,  for  His  disciples  were  in  trouble.  And  when  He 
came  near,  He  found  that  among  the  people  were  some  of 
His  enemies  the  Lawyers,  who  were  putting  questions  to  the 
disciples  which  they  were  unable  to  answer.  A  boy,  ill  with 
epilepsy  was  there,  and  the  Lawyers  were  upbraiding  the 
disciples.  And  in  this  out-of-the-way  village  on  that  Autumn 
morning,  once  more  Jesus  met  His  old  foes,  and  coming  in 
between  them  and  His  disciples,  He  said  in  a  quiet  voice, 
turning  to  the  Lawyers — 


BRING    THE    BOY.  207 

''What  are  you  disputing  about?"  They  scowled,  but  no 
one  spoke.  They  were  afraid  to  repeat  what  they  had  been 
saying.  But  a  man  in  the  crowd  pushing  forward,  for  he  was 
the  boy's  father,  said — 

"  Master,  I  brought  my  son  to  Thy  disciples.  He  taketh 
fits  and  cannot  speak,  and  when  a  fit  is  on  him  he  falleth  down 
and  foameth  at  the  mouth  and  grindeth  his  teeth,  and  he  is 
pining  away.  And  I  asked  Thy  disciples  to  heal  him,  and 
they  were  not  able."  He  had  brought  his  son,  expecting  to 
find  Jesus,  and  the  disciples  had  tried  to  heal  him,  but  had 
failed,  and  then  the  Lawyers  had  jeered  at  them.  Jesus  was 
grieved  with  all  this,  and  exclaimed — 

"  O  faithless  people  !  How  long  shall  I  be  with  you  ? 
How  long  shall  I  have  to  bear  with  you  !  Bring  the  boy  to 
Me."  He  had  only  been  away  from  the  disciples  for  one 
night,  yet  by  talking  among  themselves,  perhaps  about  His 
having  said  that  He  would  soon  be  killed,  these  disciples  had 
lost  trust  in  Him.  The  boy,  who  had  been  taken  out  of  the 
crowd,  was  now  brought  back  by  his  father,  and  as  he  came 
he  fell  rolling  on  the  ground,  while  the  people  stood  looking 
at  him  in  pity,  for  he  was  not  yet  twelve  years  old. 

"How  long  is  it  since  these  fits  began?"  Jesus  asked, 
turning  to  the  father — 

"Since  he  was  a  child,"  the  man  answered.  "And  often 
he  hath  fallen  into  the  fire  and  often  into  water.  Oh,  if  thou 
canst  do  anything,  have  pity  on  us  and  help  us."  The  poor 
man  had  almost  given  up  hope  of  having  his  son  healed.  But 
his  words  did  not  please  Jesus. 

"Why  dost  thou  say,  ^ If  thou  canst'?"  Jesus  asked  him. 
"  All  things  are  possible  to  him  that  believeth."  The  man 
felt  the  reproof,  and  thinking  Jesus  might  refuse  to  heal  his 
poor  boy,  he  cried  out  at  once  so  loud  that  all  the  people 
heard  him — 

"  Lord,  I  beheve  !  Help  thou  mine  unbelief!"  And  the 
people,  hearing  the  cry,  came  running  to  the  place  where  the 
poor  boy  lay  on  the  ground.  Speaking  to  the  trouble,  as  though 
it  were  an  evil  spirit,  Jesus  said — 


208  REMOVING    MOUNTAINS. 

"  Thou  dumb  and  deaf  spirit,  I  command  thee,  come  out 
of  the  boy,  and  return  no  more."  The  boy  gave  a  cry  and 
lay  so  still  that  the  people  whispered  to  each  other — "  He  is 
dead  !  "  The  Lawyers  were  the  first  to  say  so,  and  they  said 
it  with  cruel  satisfaction,  thinking  that  Jesus  had  failed,  but 
He  paid  no  attention  to  them.  Going  over  to  the  boy,  He 
took  his  hand  and  raised  him  up,  and  gave  him  to  his  father 
well  again.  And  all  who  saw  it  were  astonished,  for  they  felt 
that  He  had  the  power  of  God. 

Leaving  the  crowd,  Jesus  went  with  His  disciples  to  the 
house  in  which  they  lodged  in  the  village  for  their  morning 
meal,  and  the  disciples  wondered  why  they  had  not  been  able 
to  heal  the  boy,  although  by  a  little  reflection  they  might  have 
remembered  that  they  never  thought  they  could  do  it.  And 
as  they  were  talking  together  in  private  of  what  had  happened, 
they  asked  Jesus — 

"  Master,  why  could  not  we  heal  him  ?  "  His  answer  was 
the  sharp  reproof,  which  they  deserved.  Only  a  few  months 
ago,  He  had  sent  them  out  to  teach  throughout  Galilee  with 
great  powers,  provided  they  beheved  in  Him,  but  already  they 
had  lost  trust,  and  did  not  pray  to  God. 

"  You  failed,"  Jesus  said,  "  because  you  did  not  trust  Me. 
For  if  you  have  trust  as  small  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed, 
you  could  tell  Mount  Hermon  to  move  to  yonder  place,  and 
it  would  move,  and  nothing  should  be  impossible  to  you. 
But,"  He  added,  "  this  kind  of  trouble  is  only  healed  by 
prayer."  Now,  when  He  said  the  disciples  could  move 
mountains  *  He  was  only  using  a  common  proverb  of  the 
people,  which  meant,  not  that  they  could  shift  mountains 
about,  but  that  they  could  remove  great  difficulties.  They 
should  have  known  by  this  time,  from  the  example  of  Jesus, 
to  pray  earnestly  whenever  they  had  any  difficult  thing  to  do ; 
and  their  consciences  told  them  that  His  answer  was  true — 
they  had  neither  prayed  nor  trusted  when  with  the  boy,  and 
they  asked  no  more  questions. 

Thou  wilt  learn  from  this  story  not  to  say,  "  If  thou  canst," 
when  praying.     God  can  do  all  things,  and  it  is  thy  first  duty 


A    CHILD    IN    THE    MIDST.  209 

in  prayer  to  believe  that  thy  Father  in  Heaven  can  do  what 
thou  askest,  for  it  is  worse  than  foohshness  to  ask  for  a  thing 
which  thou  dost  not  beHeve  He  can  do  for  thee. 


A   CHILD    IN    THE    MIDST. 

CAPERNAUM,    AUTUMN,    A.D.    ^;^. 

Now  we  come  to  one  of  the  lovehest  pictures  in  the  Hfe  of 
Jesus,  and  in  the  midst  of  it  is  a  httle  child.  It  is  still  Autumn. 
The  grass  on  the  hillsides  is  scorched  and  dry,  and  the  fruits 
are  hanging  ripe  among  the  brown  leaves  in  the  orchards. 

Having  spent  some  more  days  among  the  villages  at  Hermon 
and  Caesarea  Philippi,  Jesus  turned  towards  Galilee  again. 
He  knew  that  the  Sadducees  and  Pharisees  who  had  driven 
Him  away  would  be  watching  for  His  return,  yet  He  deter- 
mined to  go  back,  but  to  go  quietly  and  privately.  From'  the 
cool,  breezy  heights  of  Hermon  they  descended  to  the  deep 
valley  of  the  Jordan,  and  crossing  it  at  a  shallow  place,  they 
were  soon  again  among  the  wooded  hills  and  vales  of  Upper 
Galilee.  Avoiding  villages,  for  He  did  not  wish  it  known  that 
He  was  in  Galilee,  He  took  the  lonely  paths  through  the  hills, 
spreading  a  tent  and  camping  in  the  open  air  at  night,  and 
spending  days  in  quiet  places,  for  the  weather  was  very  warm. 
Though  He  did  not  teach  the  people  on  that  journey.  He 
taught  His  disciples  much,  telling  them  about  His  death, 
and  preparing  them  for  the  time  when  they  would  be  left 
without  Him.  He  knew  that  when  He  got  back  to  the 
crowded  towns  by  the  Lake-side  He  would  be  busy  again, 
and  would  have  few  opportunities  for  speaking  privately  to 
them,  and  among  the  dark  shadows  of  the  silent  and  lonely 
hills  He  sought  to  impress  upon  them  the  certainty  of  His 
death.  Over  and  over  again  He  told  them  that  He  would  be 
taken  a  prisoner  and  killed  at  Jerusalem,  and  would  rise  in 
three  days.  He  wished  them  to  give  up  thinking  that  He 
would  ever  be  a  King  such  as  they  thought ;  and  seeing  His 
sad,  earnest  face,  and  hearing  ever  of  His  death,  they  were 
cast  down  :  but  they  heard  Him  always  say  that  in  three  days 


2IO  WHO    SHALL    BE    GREATEST? 

He  would  rise  again,  and  though  they  did  not  understand 
what  He  meant,  and  were  afraid  to  ask  what  would  happen 
when  He  rose,  their  hopes  returned,  and  they  fully  believed 
that  He  would  return  alive  to  the  world,  and  be  their 
glorious  King.  They  thought  that  the  end  of  their  work  was 
drawing  near,  that  soon  they  would  get  high  places  in  His 
kingdom  as  rewards  for  their  hard  service — princes,  nobles, 
governors,  at  least.  And  while  Jesus  tried  to  get  them  to 
believe  that  He  was  really  to  be  killed  and  leave  the  world, 
they  still  looked  eagerly  forward  to  His  death  as  the  triumph 
of  His  work,  and  were  already  dividing  the  riches  and  honours 
which  they  expected  to  receive. 

They  passed  quietly  through  Upper  Galilee,  with  no  crowds, 
no  wonders,  no  teaching,  only  thirteen  young  countrymen, 
wearing  heavy  cloaks,  and  with  long  sticks  in  their  hands, 
walking  among  the  hills.  And  on  the  day  when  they  came 
over  the  high  road  past  Safed  in  the  hills  above  Capernaum, 
and  saw  again  the  beautiful  blue  Lake  sparkling  in  the  sunlight 
like  a  silver  mirror  among  the  mountains,  with  the  ranges 
of  Hermon  and  of  Moab  beyond,  and  the  rich  crowded  cities, 
and  beautiful  gardens  so  close  at  hand,  the  hopes  of  His 
disciples  rose  again.  Jesus  walked  in  front  thinking  of 
His  coming  death,  but  so  little  did  they  beheve  that  He 
would  be  killed  and  leave  them,  that  they  actually  began 
to  quarrel  angrily  with  each  other  as  to  who  should  be 
greatest  when  Jesus  was  King.  Who  doth  not  pity  Jesus? 
How  often  were  His  sorrows  deepened  and  His  lonehness 
intensified  S^  the  secret  disbeHef,  greed,  vanity,  and  mis- 
understanding of  His  nearest  friends  !  But  He  said  nothing, 
and  soon  they  were  in  Capernaum.  Perhaps  He  came 
into  the  town  at  night,  for  He  was  not  noticed  for  some 
days. 

When  He  reached  Peter's  house  some  of  the  disciples  came 
to  Him,  and  He  knew  from  their  faces  what  they  were  think- 
ing about ;  but  they  did  not  know  what  He  had  heard  them 
saying  on  the  road.  Looking  at  them  sadly,  He  surprised 
them  with  this  simple  question — 


HUMBLE    AS    LITTLE    CHILDREN.  211 

*'  What  were  you  disputing  about  on  the  road  ?  "  But  no 
one  answered.  The  men  were  ashamed  of  what  they  had 
been  saying ;  but  they  would  confess  nothing.  Sitting  down, 
which  was  His  usual  sign  that  He  would  speak  for  some  time, 
Jesus  told  them  to  bring  in  the  other  disciples;  and  when 
they  all  stood  before  Him  in  the  room,  He  said — 

"  Whoever  wisheth  to  be  the  first,  he  shall  be  the  last,  and 
shall  be  the  servant  of  all  the  others."  There  were  little  dark- 
eyed  children  in  the  room,  Peter's  children,  who  loved  Jesus, 
and  liked  to  hide  in  corners  and  watch  Him  and  listen.  They 
were  sorry  when  he  was  away,  and  now  on  His  return  they 
gladly  left  their  games  to  be  near  Him.  Now  Jesus  loved 
little  children  more  than  anything  else  in  the  world,  and 
calling  a  httle  one  by  his  name,  He  bade  him  come,  and  the 
child  ran  joyfully  across  the  floor  and  stood  by  His  side,  his 
little  head  not  as  high  as  Jesus'  shoulder.  With  kind  words 
Jesus  told  him  to  stand  out  alone  in  the  middle  of  the  room, 
and  the  child  did  so.  Then,  turning  to  the  disciples,  who 
were  looking  on,  He  said — 

"Unless  you  change,  and  become  as  little  children,  you 
shall  not  enter  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  but  whoever  shall  be 
humble  as  this  Httle  child,"  pointing  as  He  spoke  to  the  blush- 
ing boy,  "  he  shall  be  greatest  in  that  Kingdom."  They  all 
looked  at  the  boy,  as  he  stood  in  his  small  striped  tunic,  with 
bare  legs  and  feet  and  hanging  head,  blushing  and  feeling  very 
full  of  love  to  Jesus,  trusting  Him,  and  ready  to  run  to  Him 
when  told.  The  child  did  not  know  what  it  all  meant,  but  he 
knew  that  he  would  do  anything  for  Jesus,  and  not  feel  proud 
at  all ;  and  before  this  innocent  child  these  bearded  men  stood 
silent  and  reproved. 

Again  Jesus  called  the  child,  and  he  ran  to  Him,  and  hid 
his  blushing  face  in  His  white  tunic.  Putting  His  arms  round 
him  as  though  both  the  child  and  He  were  giving  the  lesson 
to  the  hardy  fishermen,  He  set  the  child  down  beside  Him, 
his  fair  head  touching  the  dark  brown  hair  of  Jesus,  and 
repeating  part  of  what  He  had  told  them  once  before,  He 
said — 


212  AN    HUNDRED    SHEEP. 

"Whoever  receiveth  a  little  child  in  My  name,  receiveth 
Me,  and  whoever  receiveth  Me,  receiveth  God ;  but  whoever 
shall  cause  harm  to  one  of  these  little  ones  that  beheveth  on 
Me,  it  were  better  for  that  man  that  a  millstone  were  hung 
round  his  neck  and  he  were  drowned  in  the  sea."  He  then 
repeated  to  His  disciples  more  of  what  He  had  told  them  before, 
saying  that  they  should  not  hesitate  to  give  up  anything  that 
caused  them  to  do  wrong,  even  to  cutting  off  their  hand,  add- 
ing these  beautiful  words,  as  though  He  feared  some  of  them 
did  not  yet  think  enough  of  the  child  now  folded  in  His  arms. 

"See  that  you  despise  not  little  children,  for  I  tell  you  that 
in  Heaven  their  angels  do  always  see  the  face  of  God,  My 
Father  in  Heaven^  These  are  beautiful  words  for  children. 
Children  are  to  be  first,  and  always  see  God's  face  in  Heaven, 
just  as  in  their  pure  hearts  they  hear  His  voice  on  earth. 
Jesus  then  told  them  this  story — 

"  If  a  shepherd  should  have  an  hundred  sheep,  and  one  of 
them  should  be  lost,  if  he  be  a  good  shepherd  he  will  leave 
the  flock  and  search  the  hills  and  valleys  until  he  find  the 
wanderer,  and  when  he  findeth  him  he  will  rejoice  more  over 
finding  the  little  lost  one  than  over  the  ninety-nine  other  sheep 
which  never  were  lost."  Adding  that  children  are  God's  little 
sheep,  that  Jesus  Himself  is  the  kind  Shepherd  who  wants  to 
lead  them  into  Heaven,  and  that  God  does  not  wish  a  single 
child  not  to  have  Heaven.  The  disciples  now  confessed 
something  they  had  done  that  day  without  His  leave.  It  was 
John  who  spoke. 

"  Master,  we  saw  a  man  healing  people  to-day  in  Thy  name, 
and  we  foibade  him,  because  he  cometh  not  with  us." 

"Forbid  him  not,"  said  Jesus,  "for  there  is  no  man  who 
doeth  a  good  thing  in  My  name  who  will  ever  speak  lightly 
against  Me.  Whoever  is  not  against  us  is  for  us.  And  who- 
ever giveth  you  but  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  drink  because  you 
are  with  Me,  shall  be  rewarded."  And  after  speaking  to  them 
of  other  things.  He  gave  them  a  further  warning  against  ever 
again  disputing  with  each  other,  using  the  same  words  which 
He  had  used  once  before. 


FORGIVE    THY    BROTHER.  213 

"Salt  is  good,"  He  said,  "but  if  the  salt  have  lost  its  taste 
it  is  of  no  use.  See  that  you  are  like  good  salt,  and  be  at 
peace  with  each  other."  And  still  the  little  ruddy-cheeked 
child  sat  by  Him,  gazing  up  into  His  face  with  solemn  dark 
eyes,  forgetful  of  his  games,  of  his  companions,  of  the  dis- 
ciples, listening  to  every  word  of  his  dear  Friend,  and  doubt- 
ing nothing. 

Remember  thou  how  this  little  child  taught  these  fishermen, 
for  thou  art  not  too  young  to  show  by  thy  gentleness,  trust, 
and  kindness,  what  like  grown  men  should  be.  How  did 
this  child  teach  these  men?  Not  by  speaking,  but  by  showing 
from  a  pure  heart  what  perfect  love  and  trust  are. 


FORGIVE   THY   BROTHER. 

CAPERNAUM,  AUTUMN,   A.D.    33. 

As  some  of  His  disciples  might  bear  ill-will  to  each  other 
after  their  recent  dispute  as  to  who  should  be  the  greatest, 
Jesus  went  on  to  tell  them  that  they  must  forgive  all  injuries, 
and  love  each  other  like  brothers.  They  were  still  in  the 
small  room  of  Peter's  house,  and  His  arm  was  round  the  child 
who  sat  beside  Him,  as  He  told  them  that  they  should  love 
their  brethren  not  only  when  they  were  kind,  but  also  when 
they  were  unkind,  and  so  win  them  back  to  kindness.  The 
disciples  were  to  behave  to  each  other  like  brothers,  for  all 
men  are  brothers  in  God's  great  kingdom,  and  God  is  the 
Father  of  us  all.  But  sometimes  a  brother  harms  another, 
and  what  is  he  to  do  then  ? 

"  If  thy  brother  harm  thee,"  said  Jesus,  "  go  secretly  and 
tell  him  what  he  hath  done,  between  thyself  and  him  alone, 
and  if  he  listeneth  to  thee  and  is  sorry,  then  thou  hast  won 
thy  brother  again,  and  all  is  well.  But  if  he  will  not  speak 
with  thee,  then  take  one  or  two  people  with  thee  and  try 
again,  so  that  they  may  be  able  to  say  that  thou  didst  try  to 
make  friends  with  thy  brother.  But  if  he  shall  still  refuse  to 
speak  to  thee,  ask  thy  friends  to  speak  to  him;  but  if  he  will 


2  14  WHERE    TWO    OR    THREE    ARE. 

not  listen  to  them,  or  say  he  is  sorry  for  what  he  hath  done, 
thou  needst  do  no  more ;  leave  him  alone."  Thus  Jesus 
wished  His  disciples  not  to  quarrel,  but  if  a  quarrel  should 
arise,  they  were  to  do  all  they  could  to  be  friends  again. 
He  was  anxious  that  they  should  keep  together,  work  and 
pray  and  worship  together,  saying  to  them  also  what  He  said 
to  Peter  when  they  were  alone  on  the  hill  near  Caesarea 
PhiHppi,  a  few  weeks  before — 

"What  things  you  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  Heaven, 
and  what  things  you  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  Heaven. 
And  if  two  of  you  agree  upon  anything  that  you  shall  ask  in 
prayer,  My  Father  in  Heaven  will  do  it  for  you.  Fo7'  where 
two  or  three  are  gathered  together  i?t  My  name,  there  am  I  in 
the  midst  of  you  y 

Thus  He  gave  them  a  promise  that  when  they  met  together 
to  worship,  His  Spirit  would  be  especially  with  them.  Some 
of  them  thought  that  only  in  churches  or  in  the  Temple  could 
they  worship  rightly,  but  He  told  them  differently.  In  the 
lonely  valley,  on  the  storm-tost  ship,  or  in  the  darkness  of 
the  mine,  there  the  Spirit  of  God  is  with  His  worshippers, 
as  much  as  in  the  quiet  cathedral.  With  a  desire  for  more 
guidance,  Peter,  who  thought  there  must  be  some  limit  to 
forgiving  one  another,  asked — 

"Master,  how  often  shall  I  forgive  my  brother?  Is  seven 
times  enough?"  Peter  thought  he  was  generous,  for  he  had 
been  taught,  like  all  Jews,  not  to  forgive  even  once,  but  to 
pay  back  injuries. 

"  I  say,"-  %aid  Jesus  firmly,  "  not  seven  times  only,  but 
seventy  times  seven  shalt  thou  forgive  thy  brother  !  "  mean- 
ing that  there  was  to  be  no  end  to  forgiving  any  one  who  was 
sorry  for  what  he  had  done,  for  no  one  would  think  of  keeping 
count  of  seventy  times  seven,  which  comes  to  four  hundred  and 
ninety  times.  He  then  told  them  a  story  about  a  king  and  his 
servants,  to  show  how  willingly  God  forgiveth  us,  and  taketh  us 
into  His  Kingdom  of  Heaven  ;  for  the  King  in  the  story  is  God. 

There  was  once  a  king  who  came  to  examine  his  servants, 
and  one  of  them  was  brought  who  owed  him  ten  thousand 


THE    KING    AND    HIS    SERVANTS.  215 

talents  of  silver — now  that  is  more  than  a  million  of  English 
pounds — and  as  the  servant  had  not  got  the  money  to  pay 
him  with,  the  king  ordered  him,  his  wife  and  children,  and  all 
that  he  had,  to  be  sold.  When  the  servant  heard  this  order 
he  fell  down  on  his  knees  and  worshipped  the  king,  saying, 
"  Lord,  have  patience  with  me  and  I  will  pay  thee  all  that  I 
owe  thee."  And  the  king  felt  sorry  for  him,  and  forgave  him 
the  whole  debt,  and  let  him  off  free.  After  the  king  forgiving 
him  so  much,  we  should  expect  this  man  to  forgive  others 
gladly,  but  listen  : — 

When  this  servant  went  out  from  the  king,  he  met  another 
servant,  who  owed  him  one  hundred  pennies — now  that  is  less 
than  four  English  pounds,  and  he  had  owed  the  king  a  million 
pounds — and  he  took  his  fellow- servant  by  the  throat  before 
the  other  servants,  saying,  "  Pay  me  what  thou  owest."  And 
the  poor  man  fell  down  on  his  kness  and  begged  of  him,  say- 
ing, "  Have  patience  with  me,  and  I  will  pay  thee."  But  the 
servant  would  not,  and  had  him  put  into  prison  till  he  should 
pay  the  debt.  Now  when  the  other  servants  saw  what  he  had 
done  to  his  fellow-servant,  they  were  sorry  and  went  and  told 
the  king,  and  the  king  sent  for  the  cruel  servant  and  said  to 
him,  "  O  thou  wicked  servant !  I  forgave  thee  all  thy  large 
debt  of  ten  thousand  silver  talents  when  thou  didst  ask  me. 
Thou  shouldst  have  had  mercy  on  thy  fellow-servant,  as  I  had 
mercy  on  thee."  And  the  king  was  very  angry,  and  gave  the 
cruel  man  over  to  be  punished  till  he  should  pay  all  that  was 
due.  And  the  disciples  thought  that  the  man  was  rightly  pun- 
ished by  the  king,  who  having  had  so  much  kindness  shown 
to  him,  could  be  so  very  unkind  to  his  companion  ;  forgetting 
that  God  is  the  king,  who  forgiveth  us  all  so  much,  that  we 
should  gladly  forgive  each  other ;  but  Jesus  reminded  the  dis- 
ciples of  that  in  these  beautiful  warning  words — 

"  And  My  Father  in  Heaven  will  do  the  same  to  you,  if  you 
do  not  every  one  forgive  your  brother  from  your  hearts."  And 
with  this,  Jesus  ended  the  charming  address  which  arose  from 
the  disciples  quarrelling  on  the  road  to  Capernaum,  and  they 
went  out  of  the  house  resolving  to  obey  His  words.     And  the 


2l6  THE    TEMPLE    SHEKEL. 

little  child,  who  had  been  in  His  arms  all  the  while,  ran  out 
again  into  the  sunshine  with  his  companions,  and  he  too 
understood  that  he  was  to  be  kind  and  gentle  and  loving  to 
his  little  brothers. 

And  thou  also  wilt  remember  never  to  be  tired  of  forgiving, 
and  of  being  kind,  and  if  thy  brother  will  not  listen  to  thee, 
then  forgive  him  in  thy  kind  little  heart  and  think  no  more 
about  it,  and  so  thou  wilt  be  like  Jesus  who  forgave  all  His 
enemies. 

THE   TEMPLE   SHEKEL. 

CAPERNAUM,   AUTUMN,   A.D.    ^;i. 

Every  man  in  the  country  where  Jesus  lived,  who  was  twenty 
years  of  age  had  to  pay  a  tax  each  year,  called  the  "  Temple 
Shekel,"  worth  about  is.  3d.  Rich  or  poor,  all  had  to  pay  it 
to  the  men  who  collected  it  for  the  priests  at  Jerusalem,  who 
said  it  was  paid  to  God,  and  that  it  helped  to  get  the  one  who 
gave  it  into  Heaven  ;  but  really  it  was  put  into  two  great  money 
boxes  in  the  Golden  Temple  and  spent  upon  sacrifices  and 
upon  the  men  and  women  about  the  Temple.  It  should  have 
been  paid  in  March,  and  it  was  now  September,  and  when  Peter 
returned  to  his  house,  the  collector  came  asking  for  his  half 
shekel,  a  small  old  silver  coin,  and  at  the  same  time  he  asked 
Peter  if  Jesus  paid  the  tax,  for  there  were  some  men  who 
would  rather  go  to  prison  than  pay  it.  Peter,  without  asking 
Jesus,  answered,  "Yes,"  to  the  man,  but  he  had  not  enough 
money  to  ];  ay  it  with,  and  leaving  him  he  went  to  tell  Jesus 
that  the  collector  had  called.  Perhaps  Jesus  had  heard  them 
talking  at  the  door,  for  he  said — 

"  Peter,  from  whom  do  the  kings  of  the  world  ask  taxes ; 
from  their  own  sons,  or  from  strangers?" 

"  Frorn  strangers,"  Peter  answered,  for  of  course  no  king 
would  think  of  taxing  his  own  sons. 

"The  sons  therefore  go  free,"  said  Jesus,  looking  gently  at 
Peter,  who  had  been  too  hasty  in  telling  the  man  that  Jesus 
would  pay  the  tax.     Why  should  the  Son  of  God  pay  a  tax  to 


HIS    BROTHERS    COME.  21  7 

the  Temple  of  God?  Why  should  the  pure  and  good  One 
pay  a  tax  to  priests,  to  help  Him  to  have  Heaven  ?  Some 
Teachers  also,  were  not  asked  to  pay  this  tax  at  all,  and  Peter 
was  about  to  return  and  tell  the  man  that  He  did  not  pay  it, 
when  Jesus  added — 

"  But  in  case  we  should  cause  them  to  do  wrong,  go  down 
to  the  Lake  and  cast  a  hook  into  the  water  and  pull  up  the 
first  fish  which  cometh,  and  when  thou  hast  opened  its  mouth, 
thou  wilt  find  a  shekel ;  take  that  and  give  it  to  them  for  Me 
and  thee."  Jesus  knew  that  after  what  Peter  had  told  the  col- 
lector, he  would  press  for  the  tax,  which  He  had  paid  before 
when  working  as  a  Carpenter  in  Nazareth,  it  being  one  of 
many  trifling  customs  which  He  obeyed  although  He  did  not 
defend  them.  We  do  not  read  of  Peter  fishing,  but  we  hear 
no  more  of  the  collector  or  of  the  Temple  tax,  and  conclude 
that  he  was  paid. 

The  Festival  of  Bowers  was  now  near,  the  most  joyful  Festi- 
val of  all  the  year,  the  great  glad  harvest  home  kept  by  the  whole 
nation  in  the  Golden  Temple  at  Jerusalem,  to  mark  the  in- 
gathering of  all  the  crops  of  the  field — oil,  wheat,  barley,  wine, 
dates,  figs,  pomegranates,  flour,  some  of  everything  which  they 
had  got  they  brought  to  the  Temple.  It  was  a  time  of  great 
rejoicing,  particularly  if  the  year  had  been  a  rich  one,  and  all 
over  the  country  the  people  gathered  in  bands  to  march  up  to 
Jerusalem,  both  for  company  and  for  safety,  for  sometimes 
robbers  attacked  them  in  lonely  places.  Capernaum  was  the 
gathering  place  for  the  Lake  district,  and  as  the  people  came  in 
to  the  town  from  the  plains  and  the  hills,  the  brothers  and  sisters 
of  Jesus  came  down  by  the  vale  of  Doves  from  Nazareth. 
They  were  surprised  to  find  that  apparently  Jesus  was  not 
going  to  the  Festival.  While  they  had  cut  new  sticks,  and 
mended  their  sandals,  and  put  on  their  holiday  clothes,  He 
seemed  to  be  making  no  preparations,  and  they  began  to  talk 
to  Him  and  give  Him  advice  as  to  what  He  should  do  and 
how  He  should  teach.  They  did  not  yet  believe  in  Him,  and 
it  is  very  doubtful  if  they  even  loved  Him,  for  they  knew  that 
His  life  would  be  in  danger  if  He  went  to  Jerusalem  or  Judaea, 


2l8  THEIR    BAD    ADVICE. 

and  yet  they  pressed  Him  to  go  thither.  Fresh  from  their 
sheep  and  vines,  they  sought  out  their  elder  Brother,  whom  the 
people  thought  so  wise  and  great,  to  urge  upon  Him  what  to 
do  at  this  critical  time  ;  for,  like  His  disciples,  they  hoped  that 
if  Jesus  became  a  King,  they  would  become  great  with  Him. 
If  He  failed.  He  would  be  punished,  but  they  His  brothers 
would  escape  unnoticed  and  untouched,  back  to  their  sheep 
and  their  fields  again. 

"  Leave  Galilee  and  go  into  Judaea,"  they  urged  Him,  "  that 
Thy  followers  there  may  also  see  the  wonderful  works  which 
Thou  doest.  For  no  man  who  wisheth  to  become  openly 
known  doeth  anything  in  secret."  Thus  they  advised  Him 
to  go  into  danger,  for  they  thought  httle  of  any  One  who 
could  do  wonders,  but  who  would  not  make  a  show  of  His 
power.  "^Thou  doest  these  things,"  they  added,  "show 
Thyself  to  the  world."  Jesus  might  have  answered,  "You, 
Mine  own  younger  brothers  !  who  have  known  Me  from 
childhood,  whom  I  have  carried,  whose  little  feet  I  have 
taught  to  walk,  whom  I  have  never  deceived,  surely  you 
believe  in  Me  ! "  He  did  not  answer  angrily  when  they 
hinted  that  He  was  keeping  out  of  the  way,  but  gave  a 
gentle  reply  with  an  edge  of  irony  that  must  have  touched 
their  hearts.  He  told  them  that  they  were  quite  safe  to  go 
to  Judaea,  for  they  did  not  teach,  but  it  was  different 
with  Him. 

"  It  is  not  time  for  Me,"  He  said,  "but  you  can  go  at  any 
time.  Those  people  do  not  hate  you,  but  Me  they  hate, 
because  I  t.41  them  that  what  they  do  is  wicked.  Go  up  to 
the  Festival  in  Judaea  !  I  shall  not  go  yet,  for  it  is  not  My 
time."  They  made  no  reply,  for  what  He  said  of  them  was 
true,  that  they  at  any  rate  could  not  be  accused  of  favouring 
or  helping  Him.  And  when  the  band  of  people  left  Caper- 
naum to  walk  to  Jerusalem,  His  brothers  went  with  it,  but 
Jesus  remained  behind  with  His  disciples,  and  they  thought 
that  He  was  not  going,  and  told  all  the  people  whom  they 
met  that  He  would  not  be  at  the  Festival. 

This  is  one  of  the  saddest  things  in  the  life  of  Jesus — His 


THE    FESTIVAL    OF    BOWERS.  219 

brothers — who  had  played  and  slept  with  Him,  urging  Him  to 
go  into  danger.  There  are  no  words  so  bitter  as  the  taunts  of 
brothers,  and  if  thou  canst  not  help  him,  never,  never  do  thy 
brother  any  harm. 


THE  FESTIVAL   OF   BOWERS. 

JERUSALEM,    AUTUMN,   A.D.    ;^2' 

Jesus  did  not  leave  Capernaum  till  more  than  a  week  after 
His  brothers  had  gone  to  attend  the  Festival  of  Bowers  at  Jeru- 
salem, and  then  He  followed  with  a  few  of  His  disciples, 
walking  quietly  and  quickly,  not  teaching  anywhere,  for  He 
did  not  wish  it  to  become  known  that  He  would  be  at  the 
Festival, 

The  Festival  of  Bowers  was  held  at  the  time  of  the  new 
moon  in  October,  lasted  for  seven  days,  and  was  one  of  the 
three  great  Festivals  to  which  everybody  was  expected  to  go, 
even  women  and  children.  For  weeks  before,  on  all  the 
country  roads,  bands  of  people  were  marching  towards  Jeru- 
salem, singing  joyful  psalms,  while  the  children  danced  and 
waved  green  branches,  the  songs  beginning  low  and  growing 
louder  as  they  all  joined  in,  till  they  made  the  hills  and  valleys 
ring  with  their  marching  music.  And  when  at  last  they 
reached  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  saw  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Kedron  valley  the  splendid  city  and  the  great  Golden 
Temple,  a  shout  of  joy  went  up  from  each  band  as  they  came 
over  the  shoulder  of  Olivet,  in  which  all  the  children 
joined,  waving  palm  branches  and  shouting  until  the  very 
soldiers  in  the  watch-towers  on  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  heard 
them. 

For  weeks  the  city  had  been  preparing  for  this  joyful  time 
of  music,  singing,  dancing,  illuminations,  and  feasting.  It  was 
the  law  that  the  people  must  all  come  out  of  their  houses  and 
live  for  a  week  in  green  bowers,  built  in  the  streets,  squares, 
courts,  gardens,  and  on  the  flat  roofs  of  the  houses,  of  great 
leafy  branches  —  palm,  olive,  myrtle,  pine,  and  willow 
branches — woven  together,  with  red  peaches,  yellow  citrons, 


2  20  WATER    IN    A    GOLDEN    BOWL. 

and  purple  grapes  hanging  among  the  twigs,  to  remind  them 
of  the  time  long  ago  when  their  forefathers  lived  in  tents  in 
the  sandy  desert  and  had  no  brick  houses.  The  streets  were 
decorated  with  branches  of  trees  and  flower  stalls  with  fruits 
for  sale,  until  with  bower-building,  pillar- twining,  arch-mak- 
ing, and  ropes  of  leaves  hung  across  from  house  to  house, 
the  streets  looked  hke  paths  in  a  green  forest ;  just  as  thou 
hast  seen  houses  hung  with  evergreens  and  holly  at  Christmas 
time.  The  country  people  who  came  were  taken  in  by  their 
friends,  until  there  was  no  more  room  in  the  city,  and  then  they 
built  their  green  bowers  in  the  fields  and  on  the  hills  outside, 
until  the  Mount  of  Olives  and  sides  of  the  brook  Kedron 
were  covered  with  bowers,  whence  they  could  see  the  Golden 
Temple,  high  up  on  its  rocky  height,  with  the  sunlight  burn- 
ing on  its  golden  roof  by  day,  and  the  moonlight  flashing 
there  by  night. 

The  first  day  of  the  Festival  began  with  silver  trumpets 
blown  from  the  white  marble  steps  inside  the  Temple,  and 
then  the  people,  taking  in  their  right  hand  a  yellow  citron, 
and  in  their  left  a  bunch  of  palm,  myrtle,  and  willow  twigs 
tied  together  with  a  silver  or  gold  cord,  crowded  to  the 
"  Water  Gate  "  of  the  Temple  that  opened  towards  the  Pool 
of  Siloam  in  the  valley  of  the  Kedron,  until  every  point  of 
rock  and  hill  at  that  part  of  the  valley,  on  both  sides,  was 
covered  with  people.  When  the  gate  was  opened,  a  proces- 
sion, headed  by  a  white-robed  priest  carrying  a  large  golden 
bowl,  came  out  to  the  sound  of  music  and  went  down  the 
long  flight  it  steps  cut  out  of  the  rocks  that  led  to  the 
sweet  sparkling  pool  of  Siloam,  the  favourite  spring  of  Jerusa- 
lem. There  he  filled  the  golden  bowl,  and  returned  up  the 
steps  holding  it  on  high,  while  all  the  people  shook  their 
green  branches  above  their  heads  like  a  forest  of  waving 
boughs,  and  sang  a  beautiful  song  in  which  were  these 
words — 

"  With  joy  shall  we  draw  water  out  of  the  wells  of  salva- 
tion." And  as  the  priest  with  the  golden  bowl  entered  the 
great  court  of  the  Temple,  the  Levites  and  the  people  that 


SILVER    TRUMPETS,    HARP,    AND    FLUTE.        22  1 

crowded  there,  waved  their  green  branches  and  sang  this  song 
to  trumpets  and  harps — 

"  Oh  give  thanks  to  God,  for  His  mercy  endureth  for  ever." 
The  musicians  continued  playing  loudly  on  trumpet,  harp, 
flute,  cymbal,  and  drum,  and  the  whole  place  was  filled  with 
music,  as  the  priest  went  from  court  to  higher  court  of  the 
great  Temple  towards  the  large  stone  altar  in  the  third  court, 
over  which  had  been  erected  a  bower  of  green  willow  branches 
from  Motza  on  the  Kedron,  and  there,  high  above  the  dense 
throng  of  thousands  of  people  that  stood  in  the  hot  sunshine, 
he  poured  water  from  the  golden  bowl  into  a  silver  basin, 
and  wine  into  another  silver  basin,  mingling  them  together, 
while  all  the  people  shouted  joyfully.  Then,  led  by  a  choir 
of  Levites  and  singing  boys,  the  people  sang  a  grand  psalm  to 
the  accompaniment  of  flutes  only ;  and  soon  a  grey  cloud  of 
smoke  rising  into  the  blue  air  over  the  Temple  told  the  whole 
city  that  the  morning  sacrifice  was  being  offered  on  the  great 
altar. 

This  ceremony  of  water-carrying  was  one  of  the  two  great 
sights  of  the  Festival,  and  it  was  repeated  every  morning  for 
seven  days.  All  day  long,  the  people  in  their  holiday  clothes, 
carrying  their  bunches  of  green  twigs,  and  their  yellow  citrons, 
walked  through  the  streets  and  up  the  broad  steps  of  the 
Temple,  and  round  the  great  green-covered  altar,  waving  their 
branches,  and  shouting  ''  Hosanna,  Hosanna  !  "  which  means, 
"  Praise  be  to  God  !  "  And  all  day  the  priests  performed  in 
their  court,  and  the  singers  and  musicians  played  and  sang, 
the  silver  trumpets  being  blown  twenty-one  times  that  day 
from  the  marble  steps  of  the  Women's  court. 

Jesus  did  not  find  fault  with  these  great  Festival  rejoicings, 
but  went  to  them  as  He  went  to  the  marriage  at  Cana,  to  look 
on;  nor  wilt  thou  judge  any  one  harshly,  for  the  spirit  of 
Jesus  liveth  in  different  manners  of  worship,  and  He  loveth  a 
gentle  judgment. 


2  22  JESUS    IN    THE    TEMPLE. 

JESUS    IN    THE   TEMPLE. 

JERUSALEM,   AUTUMN,   A.D.    33. 

At  night  came  the  strangest  scene  of  all  in  the  first  great 
day  of  the  Festival  of  Bowers  at  Jerusalem.  In  the  large 
square  of  the  Women's  court,  which  stood  high  above  the 
city,  and  was  paved  with  many  coloured  marbles,  and  was  open 
to  the  blue  skies,  the  young  priests  had  prepared  and  placed 
upon  the  lofty  walls  four  immense  golden  candlesticks,  with 
great  candles  in  them,  and  also  four  huge  golden  lamps  full  of 
oil,  with  wicks  made  out  of  the  old  garments  of  the  priests. 
At  sundown  the  people  crowded  into  that  court,  the  women 
going  up  into  the  dim  stone  galleries  round  about  to  look 
down  from  the  windows,  and  when  it  grew  dark,  four  young 
priests  went  up  ladders  to  the  huge  candles  and  lamps  upon 
the  wall  and  set  them  on  fire,  and  soon  the  flames  rose  and 
flared  over  the  Temple  walls,  lighting  up  carved  arches,  gal- 
leries, pillars  of  marble,  and  doors  of  plated  brass  and  gold. 

Then,  with  lighted  torches  in  their  hands,  the  chief  men  of 
the  city — Teachers,  Lawyers,  Priests,  Rulers — with  dusky  faces 
and  robes  of  flowing  white,  going  out  into  the  middle  of  the 
court,  began  dancing  with  naked  feet  upon  the  coloured  pave- 
ment under  these  wild  flaring  lights,  while  the  singers  and 
musicians  seated  on  the  fifteen  great  steps  of  the  court,  with 
silver  trumpets,  flutes,  cymbals,  and  drums,  played  and  sang 
wild  and  exciting  music  to  the  strange  dancing,  and  the  women 
looked  dow;  *upon  a  scene  in  which  they  were  not  allowed  to 
mingle.  The  lights  were  so  great  and  high  that  they  lighted 
up  all  the  streets  of  the  city  below ;  but,  nevertheless,  the 
people  illuminated  their  houses  with  candles  in  the  windows, 
and  walked  about  with  lighted  torches  in  their  hands  until  far 
into  the  night,  and  when  the  time  of  cock-crowing  came  in 
the  morning,  two  trumpeters  went  through  the  dancers  in  the 
Temple,  sounding  their  silver  trumpets,  which  was  the  signal 
for  the  dancing  to  cease,  the  lights  to  be  put  out,  and  the 
Temple  doors  to  be  shut.     These  Temple  lights  were  the 


WHY    KILL    ME?  223 

second  great  sight  of  the  Festival,  and  they  were  kindled  every 
night  for  seven  nights. 

Three  days  of  the  Festival  went  past,  but  there  was  no  Jesus. 
Where  was  He?  The  head  priests  looked  for  Him  among 
the  people  when  the  Festival  began,  but  He  was  not  there. 
"  Where  is  Jesus  ?  "  the  people  asked  ;  but  no  one  could  tell. 
His  brothers  said  He  was  not  coming  to  the  Festival.  Yet  all 
the  people  were  talking  about  Him  because  of  His  wonders, 
but  only  in  whispers,  being  afraid  lest  they  might  be  taken  for 
His  friends  and  punished ;  and  while  some  said  Jesus  was  a 
good  man,  others  denied  it,  and  said  He  was  leading  the  people 
astray. 

Crossing  the  Jordan  at  the  Fords,  to  which  He  had  come 
from  the  borders  of  Samaria,  Jesus  walked  along  by  the  river's 
Eastern  side,  and  re-crossing  it  again,  came  up  the  steep 
Jericho  road  to  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  was  in  Jerusalem 
before  the  priests  knew.  Suddenly,  on  the  fourth  day  of  the 
Festival,  He  appeared  in  the  Temple,  standing  among  His 
disciples,  quietly  teaching  the  people  in  one  of  the  side  arches 
of  the  Women's  court,  where  the  Teachers  usually  stood,  and 
at  once  He  was  recognized  as  the  young  Carpenter  of  Naza- 
reth, and  the  people  crowded  to  hear  Him.  Hearing  that  He 
was  there,  the  chief  men  of  the  Temple  came  from  the  Priests' 
court  to  Hsten,  and  when  they  heard  His  wonderful  teaching, 
they  looked  at  each  other  in  surprise. 

"  How  doth  this  Man  know  so  much,"  they  asked,  *'  having 
never  been  in  our  schools  or  colleges?" 

"  What  I  teach,"  Jesus  rephed,  "  is  not  Mine  own,  but  God's 
who  sent  Me.  Any  man  who  wisheth  to  obey  God  knoweth 
whether  My  teaching  is  from  God  or  whether  I  speak  from 
Myself.  Whoever  speaketh  from  himself  seeketh  his  own 
glory ;  but  He  that  seeketh  the  glory  of  God  who  sent  Him, 
He  is  true,  and  there  is  no  wickedness  in  Him.  Moses  gave 
you  the  law,  yet  none  of  you  keep  it."  Then,  with  sudden 
energy,  He  exclaimed,  "  IV/iy  do  you  wish  to  kill  Me  ?  "  Now, 
while  the  common  people  knew  that  the  priests  hated  Jesus, 
they  did  not  all  know  that  they  wished  to  kill  Him,  and  some 


224  JUDGE    RIGHTEOUSLY. 

of  them  answered,  repeating  the  coarse  taunt  which  the  Phari- 
sees had  taught  them — 

"Who  wisheth  to  kill  Thee?  Thou  hast  an  evil  spirit  !" 
This  wicked  saying,  which  had  been  flung  at  Him  before  by 
the  Pharisees  in  Galilee,  deeply  grieved  Jesus ;  but  He  took 
no  notice  of  it. 

*'  I  healed  people  on  the  Sabbath,"  He  continued,  "  and 
you  were  angry ;  but  on  the  Sabbath  you  work  in  this  Temple 
for  the  good  of  men,  because  Moses  told  you.  Now,  if  you 
may  do  so,  why  are  you  angry  with  Me  because  I  made  a  man 
every  whit  whole  on  the  Sabbath  ?  Do  not  judge  by  appear- 
ances, but  judge  righteously."  He  wished  them  to  be  just 
and  fair,  and  not  to  seek  to  kill  Him  because  He  had  healed 
the  poor  man  on  the  Sabbath,  at  the  Pool  of  Bethesda,  on  His 
last  visit  to  Jerusalem. 

Now,  when  the  news  of  His  coming  and  what  He  had  said 
spread  through  the  city,  all  the  people  talked  about  Him,  and 
it  got  to  be  generally  known  that  the  priests  wished  to  kill 
Him,  one  saying  to  another,  as  they  looked  at  Him  when  He 
came  day  after  day  and  taught  fearlessly  in  the  Temple — 

"  Is  not  this  the  young  Man  from  Galilee  whom  they  are 
seeking  to  kill,  and  yet  He  speaketh  openly,  and  they  say 
nothing  to  Him?"     To  which  others  replied — 

"  Perhaps  they  know  that  He  is  the  Christ.  But  others 
said — 

"  No.  We  know  that  this  Man  cometh  from  Nazareth  ;  but 
we  have  been  taught  that  when  the  Christ  cometh  no  one 
shall  know  yhence  He  shall  come."  But  in  this  they  had 
been  taught  wrongly.  And  so  they  refused  to  believe  what 
Jesus  said,  not  because  He  did  not  speak  the  truth,  but 
because  they  knew  whence  He  came.  It  is  not  likely  that 
He  went  to  see  the  wild  dancing  of  His  chief  enemies  in  the 
Temple  at  night.  He  would  sit  rather  talking  with  Plis 
friends  in  a  green  bower  on  the  side  of  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
looking  at  the  huge  wild  flames  that  waved  over  the  Temple 
walls,  as  they  kindled  with  red  flare  on  tower  and  terrace, 
and  threw  dark  shadows  into  the  Kedron  valley,  while  the 


SOLDIERS  REFUSE  TO  TAKE  HIM.     225 

moon  in  silvery  splendour  hung  above  the  Mount,  pouring 
her  pure  rays  through  the  leaves  of  His  bower  to  fall  like 
arrows  of  light  around  Him. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  what  Jesus  said  to  these  people  in 
the  Temple,  that  any  one  who  wished  to  be  good  and  obey 
God  would  know  that  His  teaching  is  from  God,  and  thou, 
too,  wilt  find  that  to  know  Him  is  better  than  the  learning  of 
all  schools  and  colleges. 

SOLDIERS   REFUSE   TO   TAKE   HIM. 

JERUSALEM,    AUTUMN,   A.D.    33. 

The  Festival  of  Bowers  was  nearly  over.  Every  day  brought 
waving  branches  and  silver  trumpets,  and  every  night  more 
lighted  torches  and  dancing,  and  Jesus  taught  daily  in  the 
marble  porches  of  the  Temple  to  the  crowds  who  thronged 
among  the  pillars.  Now,  He  sat  upon  a  Teacher's  wooden 
bench  in  the  shade  of  the  outer  arches,  speaking  quietly  to 
those  who  stood  around  Him  ;  now,  He  stood,  in  His  white 
tunic,  at  the  foot  of  a  great  marble  pillar  in  a  porch,  address- 
ing the  ever-moving  crowds  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  that, 
coming  up  the  steps  from  the  city,  thronged  through  the  pil- 
lared entrance  and  out  into  the  first  great  open  court.  The 
people  were  divided,  some  for,  some  against  Him ;  and  while 
all  agreed  that  they  had  never  heard  such  speaking  at  a  Fes- 
tival, some  objected,  because  they  knew  Jesus,  and  that  He 
came  from  Galilee,  and  to  these  He  replied — 

"  You  know  Me,  and  whence  I  came  ?  I  came,  not  of  My- 
self, but  God  sent  Me,  and  He  is  true,  and  Him  you  do  not 
know.  I  know  God,  because  I  came  from  Him."  When  the 
chief  Jews  heard  Him  say  this,  they  were  very  angry,  and  re- 
solved that  He  should  be  taken  a  prisoner ;  yet  they  did  not 
do  it,  fearing  a  riot,  for  they  saw  that  He  was  winning  the 
common  people  to  His  side,  many  of  whom  were  inclined  to 
think  that  He  was  indeed  the  Christ,  notwithstanding  what 
their  own  Teachers  said  against  Him. 

"When  the  Christ  cometh,"  they  asked  each  other,  "will 


526  SCATTERING   THE    GREEN    BOWERS. 

He  do  more  wonders  than  this  man  hath  done?"  This 
alarmed  the  head  priests.  That  the  people  should  speak 
openly  in  this  way  of  Jesus  being  the  Christ,  in  the  very 
Temple,  and  of  One  against  whom  they  had  warned  them, 
was,  they  thought,  a  very  serious  danger.  And  they  called  a 
meeting  of  the  Temple  council  of  the  priests,  treasurers,  and 
rulers,  in  the  Hall  of  hewn  stones,  at  the  corner  of  the  Priests' 
court,  and  told  them  what  the  people  were  saying,  and  the 
council  resolved  that  Jesus  should  be  at  once  taken  a  pris- 
oner ;  and  calling  in  the  officers  of  the  Temple  guard,  they 
ordered  them  to  go  down  and  take  Him,  but  to  do  it  quietly. 
The  officers  went  through  the  people  to  the  place  where  He 
was  speaking,  and  stood  listening,  waiting  until  a  suitable  time 
came  to  take  Him  quietly. 

"  I  shall  be  with  you  only  a  little  while  longer,"  Jesus  said, 
"  and  then  I  will  go  to  God  who  sent  Me.  You  shall  seek 
Me,  but  shall  not  find  Me ;  for  whither  I  go  you  cannot 
come."  The  officers  were  astonished  at  His  speaking  and 
His  appearance,  as  He  stood  in  His  white  countryman's  dress, 
young,  fearless,  strong.  His  clear  dark  eyes  looking  calmly 
upon  the  crowd ;  and  the  priests,  thrown  into  a  flutter  with 
His  last  words,  said  to  each  other — 

*' Whither  will  He  go  that  we  shall  not  find  Him?  Will  He 
go  to  the  Jews  that  are  in  strange  countries,  and  teach  stran- 
gers? What  doth  He  mean?  "  And  that  day  went  past,  and 
the  officers  did  not  try  to  take  Him. 

The  next  was  the  eighth  and  last  day  of  the  Festival,  the  day 
when  the  i  eople  shook  the  withered  leaves  from  their  willow 
twigs  round  the  altar,  and  beat  their  feathery  palm  branches 
to  pieces  against  its  rough  stones,  when  the  willows  over  it  and 
the  green  bowers  in  garden  and  court  were  pulled  down  and 
scattered,  and  the  people  returned  to  their  houses.  On  that 
morning  there  was  no  joyous  bringing  of  water  in  the  golden 
bowl  from  Siloam,  and  that  night  there  were  no  great  lights  in 
the  Temple.  All  was  dark  there.  Everybody  missed  these 
things,  for  it  was  a  proverb  among  the  people  that  whoever  had 
not  seen  the  bringing  in  of  the  water,  or  the  kindling  of  the 


NEVER    MAN    SPAKE    LIKE    MIM.  227 

lights  at  this  Festival,  did  not  know  what  joy  was.  And  Jesus 
called  loudly  to  the  people  in  the  Temple — 

''  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  to  Me  and  drink,  for 
whoever  believeth  in  Me  "  (as  the  Bible  saith) 

"  He  shall  be  like  a  watered  garden." 

"  And  like  a  spring  of  water,  whose  waters  fail  not." 

The  same  as  He  told  the  woman  at  the  well  of  Sychar 
about  two  years  before,  that  the  Spirit  of  God  would  spring 
up  within  them.  But  His  words  caused  a  fresh  stir  among 
the  people,  some  saying  firmly — 

"This  truly  is  the  Prophet !  This  is  the  Christ !"  Others, 
who  were  doubtful,  said,  "What?  Can  the  Christ  come  from 
Galilee?  Doth  not  the  Bible  say  that  He  shall  come  from 
the  children  of  King  David,  and  from  Bethlehem,  the  village 
where  King  David  was  born?"  They  did  not  know  that 
although  Jesus  had  lived  almost  all  his  life  in  Nazareth,  He 
was  born  in  this  very  Bethlehem.  The  people  were  thus  more 
and  more  divided. 

But  the  Temple  council  sent  the  officers  again,  this  time 
with  soldiers,  to  take  Jesus,  and  they  came  to  the  court  where 
He  was  teaching,  but  again  they  stood  listening,  as  much  inter- 
ested as  any  in  the  crowd,  until,  what  with  the  temper  of  the 
people  and  their  own  changed  feelings,  the  soldiers  resolved 
that  they  would  rather  disobey  the  council  than  touch  Him. 
And  when  He  ceased  speaking  the  officers  returned  to  the 
council,  who  were  waiting  in  their  splendid  Hall  of  hewn 
stones,  with  windows  that  looked  down  into  the  courts.  They 
had  been  watching  and  fretting,  while  the  soldiers  stood  listen- 
ing to  Jesus,  and  were  amazed  that  they  had  not  brought  Him 
up  a  prisoner. 

"Why  did  you  not  bring  Him?"  they  demanded  angrily. 
The  soldiers'  answer  was  short  and  true — 

"  No  man  ever  spoke  like  this  Man  !  "  They  would  not 
touch  Him.  The  priests  were  enraged.  Not  only  had  Jesus 
won  the  people,  but  He  had  disarmed  their  own  paid  soldiers. 
Glaring  upon  the  firm,  dark-faced  men,  who  did  not  fear 
them,  they  exclaimed — 


2  28  THE    LIGHT    OF    LIFE. 

"  Have  you  also  been  deceived  ?  Have  any  of  the  Rulers 
or  Pharisees  believed  on  Him?  These  people  who  know  not 
the  law  are  accursed  ! "  But  the  soldiers  stood  silent  while 
the  priests  cursed  them  and  the  common  people.  Nicodemus, 
the  friend  of  Jesus,  was  a  member  of  this  highest  council,  and 
he  could  not  remain  silent  and  hear  it  said  that  no  Ruler 
believed  in  Him,  and  he  was  ashamed  that  the  council  should 
blame  Jesus  contrary  to  their  own  rules. 

"By  our  law,"  Nicodemus  said  gravely,  "we  do  not  judge 
a  man  until  we  have  heard  him  and  know  what  he  doeth." 
But  the  other  councillors  turned  upon  Nicodemus,  as  they  had 
done  upon  the  soldiers,  saying  with  a  sneer — 

"  Art  thou  from  Gahlee  ?  Search  the  Bible,  and  thou  wilt 
see  that  no  prophet  cometh  from  Galilee."  They  taunted 
Nicodemus  with  being  a  Galilean,  and  therefore  a  friend  of 
Jesus.  And  the  council  meeting  broke  up  in  disorder,  with- 
out settling  anything,  every  one  going  home.  But  Jesus  con- 
tinued teaching  that  day  in  the  Temple,  while  many  of  the 
people  believed  Him,  and  many  did  not ;  and  in  the  evening 
He  went  out  and  lived  among  the  friendly  Galileans  camped 
on  the  Mount  of  Olives. 

The  friendship  of  Nicodemus  is  a  bright  spot  in  that  dark 
meeting  of  the  chief  council,  and  when  thou  art  tempted  to  be 
silent  while  those  around  thee  are  speaking  against  Jesus, 
remember  Nicodemus,  who  spoke  for  Him,  when  the  leading 
Jews  were  against  Him. 

il 

THE   LIGHT   OF   LIFE. 

JERUSALEM,  AUTUMN,   A.D.    ^^. 

Jesus  did  not  leave  Jerusalem  when  the  Festival  of  Bowers 
was  over,  but  returned  early  next  morning  to  the  Temple,  to 
teach.  -Perhaps  He  did  not  know  that  the  soldiers  had  been 
ordered  to  take  Him  a  prisoner,  although  He  knew  that  His 
enemies  wished  to  kill  Him.  Gathering  the  people  round 
Him,  He  began  to  speak  to  them  as  though  He  were  in  no 
danger.    The  Lawyers  and  Pharisees  finding  Him  there  again, 


THE    FRIEND    OF    WOMEN.  229 

and  having  failed  with  the  soldiers,  tried  another  way  to  get 
Him  into  their  power. 

As  He  sat  quietly  speaking  in  one  of  the  wide  stone  arches 
that  looked  out  upon  the  beautiful  pavement  of  the  Women's 
court,  He  heard  a  noise  of  exclamations  and  excited  voices  in 
the  crowd,  and  saw  the  people  open  up  a  way  to  allow  certain 
Lawyers  and  Pharisees  to  pass  through  towards  Him.  They 
were  compelling  some  one  to  come  along  with  them,  a  poor 
trembhng  woman,  whom  their  servants  pushed  forward  until 
she  stood  with  disordered  clothes  and  loose  hair  before  Jesus, 
for  she  had  been  forced  into  the  Temple.  What  did  this 
interruption  mean?  This  trembling  woman?  These  girdled 
priests  in  their  long  robes  of  white  shining  linen  ?  One  of  the 
Lawyers,  in  a  voice  of  mock  respect,  pointing  to  the  woman, 
whose  head  was  bowed  with  shame,  said  to  Jesus — 

"  Master,  this  woman  hath  been  taken  in  wickedness. 
Now,  by  the  law  of  Moses,  we  are  told  to  stone  her ;  but 
what  dost  Thou  say?  "  Jesus  saw  their  plot.  He  was  known 
to  have  taught  strange  and  new  things  about  the  rights  of 
women,  and  to  be  their  friend ;  and  these  Pharisees  thought 
that  if  He  were  now  to  say,  "  Stone  her,"  the  people  would  cry 
out  against  His  harshness,  and  if  He  should  say,  "  Let  her 
go,"  then  the  Pharisees  would  blame  Him  for  teaching  things 
different  from  the  laws  of  the  great  Moses.  But  Jesus  knew 
that  killing  people  in  this  way  had  long  sincebeen  put  down 
by  their  Roman  conquerors,  and  He  also  knew  that  some  of 
the  chief  Jews  were  very  wicked  men.  He  was  sorry  for  the 
woman,  and  was  shocked  that  these  men  should  drag  her  out 
thus  before  all  the  people,  not  because  of  her  degrading  fault, 
but  only  that  they  might  use  her  against  Him.  The  whole 
thing  was  so  revolting,  cruel,  and  heartless,  that  He  would  not 
answer  the  Lawyer's  question.  He  had  before  refused  to  act 
as  a  judge  between  people,  and  He  would  not  even  look  at 
these  pompous  hypocrites  as  they  stood  before  Him  with  their 
long  robes  and  staring  phylacteries  on  arm  and  brow ;  and 
stooping  down  He  began  to  write  on  the  marble  pavement 
with  His  finger ;  a  sign  that  He  would  not  speak  to  them. 


230  NEITHER    DO    I    CONDEMN    THEE. 

Thinking  that  He  was  perplexed,  the  Lawyer  urged  Him  to 
answer  his  question,  while  his  richly  dressed  friends  stood  in 
a  group  behind  him,  the  people  with  their  dark  eyes  and 
earnest  faces  standing  silently  round  to  see  what  would 
happen.  The  woman  was  now  almost  forgotten  in  the  strug- 
gle that  was  going  on  between  Jesus  and  His  enemies,  till, 
pausing  in  His  writing.  He  raised  His  head,  and  looking  at 
the  group  of  Pharisees  with  eyes  that  made  them  shrink  with 
their  stern  calmness.  He  said  slowly — 

"  Whoever  is  free  from  wickedness  among  you,  let  him  cast 
the  first  stone  at  her."  And  again  Jesus  bent  down  and 
resumed  writing  with  His  finger  on  the  pavement.  The  poor 
woman  thought  that  these  cruel  men  would  certainly  stone 
her ;  but  at  first  the  Pharisees  did  not  quite  understand  Him, 
and  in  the  silence  which  followed,  no  one  touched  her.  The 
crowd  thought  that  among  these  fine  dressed  men  there 
would  surely  be  one  who  was  not  wicked  \  but  the  Pharisees 
knew  better.  First  one  of  the  older  Pharisees  turned  and 
moved  away ;  then  another  followed  him  without  a  word,  and 
then  another  and  another,  until  they  were  all  gone,  leaving 
only  one  who  might  have  gone  but  did  not  go — the  poor 
woman.  She  stood  motionless,  her  heart  filled  with  gratitude 
and  thanks  to  Jesus  her  Friend.  The  people  waited,  watch- 
ing in  silence  this  strange  scene,  but  Jesus  still  wrote  on.  At 
length  He  raised  His  head  again  and  looked  to  the  place  where 
the  Pharisees  had  been ;  but  they  were  gone. 

"Woman,"  He  said  gently,  turning  to  her,  "where  are 
they?     Div-*no  one  condemn  thee?  " 

"  No  one.  Lord,"  was  her  low  reply,  speaking  for  the  first 
time,  and  hoping  that  He  might  forgive  her  great  fault. 

"  Neither  do  I  condemn  thee,"  He  said.  "  Go  away,  and  be 
■wicked  no  more."  He  forgave,  but  He  also  warned  her,  as  He 
sent  her  away.  With  a  full  heart  she  left  the  Temple,  and  went 
down  to  her  humble 'dwelHng  in  the  town,  to  tell  her  friends 
what  Jesus  had  done  for  her,  and  the  people  were  astonished 
and  delighted  with  His  wisdom  and  gentleness.  And  so  the 
Pharisees  were  again  defeated  and  put  to  shame  in  the  Temple. 


IN    THE    WOMEN  S    COURT.  23I 

But  Jesus  remained  teaching  in  the  Treasury,  where  the 
money  chests  were,  at  the  end  of  the  Women's  court,  and  at 
a  later  part  of  the  day,  Pharisees,  priests,  soldiers,  common 
people,  and  disciples  were  again  there,  listening  to  Him  as  He 
sat  on  a  raised  portion  of  the  red  marble  pavement  in  the  open 
arch  between  the  pillars.  He  had  spoken  yesterday  of  one  of 
the  two  great  sights  of  the  Festival,  the  joyous  bringing  of  the 
water  in  a  golden  bowl  with  singing  and  music  into  the 
Temple ;  and  to-day  He  referred  to  the  other,  the  great  light 
which  had  been  kindled  above  the  very  court  in  which  He  sat, 
and  which  had  lit  up  the  whole  Temple,  city,  valley,  and  hills 
around.  The  people  could  see  above  them  on  the  walls,  the 
half-burnt  candles  sticking  still  in  the  huge  gold  candlesticks, 
and  the  marks  where  the  melted  wax  had  run  down,  and  the 
great  empty  basins  of  the  golden  lamps  with  the  traces  of  oil, 
flame,  and  smoke  about  them ;  but  the  lights  were  gone ; 
there  was  nothing  left  but  burnt  wicks,  grease,  and  soot ;  and 
they  would  not  be  lighted  again  for  another  year.  The  recol- 
lection of  the  light  which  these  great  flames  had  cast  over  the 
city  was  fresh  in  every  mind,  as  Jesus  exclaimed — 

"  /  am  the  Light  of  the  world.  Whoever  followeth  Me  shall 
not  live  in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the  Light  of  LifeT  What 
a  beautiful  thing  to  say  !  That  to  have  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  is 
to  have  a  light  to  guide  our  lives.  But  some  Pharisees  who 
had  not  been  among  those  who  had  brought  the  poor  woman, 
interrupted  Him  rudely,  saying — 

"  Thou  speakest  about  Thyself.  What  Thou  sayest  is  not 
true." 

"  If  I  speak  about  Myself,"  He  replied  quietly,  "  what  I  say 
is  true ;  for  I  know  whence  I  came,  and  whither  I  go,  but 
you  do  not  know.  You  condemn  Me  as  men  judge  each 
other.  I  judge  no  man  ;  but  if  I  were  to  judge.  My  judgment 
would  be  right,  for  I  am  not  alone  in  what  I  do,  but  My 
Father  who  sent  Me  is  with  Me." 

"Where  is  Thy  Father?"  interrupted  some  one  thinking 
to  catch  Jesus  by  demanding  to  see  His  Father. 

"  You  do  not  understand  Me,"  was  His  quiet  reply  ;  "  nor 


232         THE    TRUTH    SHALL    MAKE    YOU    FREE. 

do  you  know  My  Father.  If  you  knew  Me,  you  would  know 
My  Father  also."  Now,  God  was  the  Father  of  whom  He 
spoke ;  but  they  pretended  to  think  He  was  speaking  of  His 
father  Joseph ;  but  He  did  not  answer  them  any  more  at 
this  time.  And  when  He  stopped  teaching,  and  went  away 
from  the  Treasury,  although  the  chief  Jews  wished  very  much 
to  take  Him  a  prisoner,  yet  they  were  afraid  to  touch  Him, 
for  the  people  liked  Him  so  much. 

Now,  before  thou  dost  blame  any  one  for  wickedness,  re- 
member thine  own  faults,  and  it  will  make  thee  gentle  in  thy 
judgments ;  for  although  Jesus  might  have  treated  the  poor, 
sinful  woman  severely,  He  forgave  her  and  spoke  kindly  to  her. 


THE  TRUTH  SHALL  MAKE  YOU  FREE. 

JERUSALEM,   AUTUMN,   A.D.    ^3- 

Although  Jesus  had  come  away  from  the  Treasury  in  the 
Women's  court.  He  did  not  leave  the  Temple,  but  later  still 
in  the  day  He  taught  again  in  one  of  the  porches  of  the  great 
outer  court,  where  the  people  in  their  strange  bright  dresses, 
men,  women,  and  children,  were  going  out  and  in  to  the 
Temple,  through  the  splendid  gates.  Again  the  Pharisees 
were  there  listening  to  Him,  for  they  always  had  some  one  to 
watch  what  He  said  to  the  people.  Young,  beautiful,  fearless, 
it  made  no  difference  to  Him,  as  He  stood  in  His  white  tunic 
among  the  rows  of  marble  pillars. 

"  I  shall  g-,/away,"  He  said,  speaking  of  His  death,  "  and 
you  shall  seek  Me,  and  shall  die  in  your  wickedness,  for  you 
cannot  come  to  the  place  whither  I  go."  When  the  Pharisees 
heard  Him  say  this  again,  fearing  He  would  get  out  of  their 
power,  they  whispered  to  each  other — 

"Whither  is  He  going?  Will  He  kill  Himself?  for  He 
saith  He  is  going  to  a  place  whither  we  cannot  follow  Him." 

"You  came  from  below,"  Jesus  continued;  "I  come  from 
above ;  you  belong  to  this  world,  but  I  do  not,  and  so  I  said 
that  you  shall  die  in  your  wickedness ;  for  unless  you  believe 


TEACHING    IN    THE    PORCHES.  233 

that  I  am  He,  you  shall  so  die."     But  some  one  in  the  crowd 
called  out — 

"Who  art  Thou?  "  Jesus  replied  by  asking  them  to  think 
of  all  He  had  said  and  done,  saying — 

"  I  am  what  I  have  said  from  the  beginning,  and  I  have 
many  things  to  tell  you.  God  who  sent  Me  is  true,  and  what 
I  have  heard  from  Him  I  speak  to  you.  When  you  have 
killed  Me,  you  will  know  that  I  am  the  Christ,  and  that  I  do 
nothing  of  Myself,  but,  as  God  My  Father  hath  taught  Me, 
so  do  I  speak  to  you.  God  who  sent  Ale  is  with  Me  now. 
He  doth  not  leave  Me  alone,  for  I  always  do  the  things  which 
please  Him."  These  words  of  Jesus  were  more  than  usually 
earnest  and  touching.  No  one  could  deny  it  when  He  said 
that  all  He  did  was  good ;  and  this  was  so  conclusive  of  His 
being  the  Christ,  that  a  large  number  of  the  people  who 
listened,  called  aloud  to  Him  that  they  believed  Him,  and 
among  them  were  a  few  of  the  leading  Judseans. 

"  If  you  continue  to  beHeve,"  Jesus  replied,  turning  with 
a  glad  look  to  these  new  friends,  "  then  are  you  truly  My 
followers,  and  you  shall  know  the  truth,  and  the  Truth  shall 
make  you  free ^'^  meaning  that  they  would  receive  His  Spirit, 
the  Spirit  of  Truth. 

"We  are  Abraham's  children,"  repKed  one  of  the  other 
Judaeans,  "  and  have  never  been  slaves  to  any  one.  How 
canst  Thou  say  that  we  shall  be  made  free?"  They  did  not 
understand  that  Jesus  meant  freedom  from  wickedness. 

"  Every  one,"  He  repUed,  "  who  doeth  wickedness  is  the  slave 
of  wickedness ;  but  if  I  make  you  free  from  wickedness  you 
shall  be  free  indeed.  I  know  that  you  all  are  Jews  and 
children  of  Abraham,  yet  you  wish  to  kill  Me  because  you  do 
not  believe  My  words.  I  speak  what  I  have  learnt  from  My 
Father,  and  you  do  what  you  have  heard  from  your  father." 

"  Abraham  is  our  father ! "  again  exclaimed  some  one, 
meaning  that  they  were  all  descendants  of  Abraham,  a  great 
Jew  who  lived  a  thousand  years  before. 

"  If  you  were  true  children  of  Abraham,"  Jesus  replied, 
looking  at  the  man  who    interrupted   Him,  "  you  would  do 


2  34    HAVE  I  DONE  ANY  WICKED  THING? 

the  good  things  that  Abraham  did,  but  instead  of  that,  you 
wish  to  kill  Me,  a  Man  that  hath  told  you  the  truth  which 
I  have  heard  from  God.  Abraham  would  not  have  done 
so.  But  you  do  the  deeds  of  your  father."  His  words  made 
them  angry ;  they  did  not  understand  Him.  Who  did  He 
mean  was  their  "  father  "?  and  some  one  exclaimed — 

"  God  is  the  Father  of  us  all." 

"  If  God  were  your  Father,"  Jesus  replied  quickly,  "  you 
would  love  Me,  for  I  come  from  God.  I  have  not  come  by 
Myself,  but  God  sent  Me.  You  do  not  understand  Me, 
because  you  will  not  believe  what  I  say."  He  was  roused 
against  these  wicked  men,  who  claimed  that  they  were  sons 
of  God,  equal  with  Him,  and,  turning  to  the  listening  people. 
He  fearlessly  went  on  to  tell  them  that  their  Teachers  were 
followers  of  the  spirit  of  evil — 

"Your  father  is  the  spirit  of  evil,"  He  said,  "and  you  do 
what  he  wishes.  He  was  a  murderer  from  the  beginning, 
and  careth  not  for  the  truth,  because  there  is  no  truth  in 
him.  When  he  speaketh  a  lie,  he  speaketh  what  is  his  own, 
for  the  spirit  of  evil  is  a  liar  and  the  father  of  all  lies.  And 
because  I  speak  the  truth,  you  do  not  beHeve  Me."  And 
then  He  calmly  asked  them  this  amazing  question — 

"  Which  of  you  can  say  that  I  have  done  any  wicked  thing  7''^ 
He  paused.  Here  was  a  challenge  made  in  their  own 
Temple,  to  all  the  priests  and  Pharisees  who  had  watched 
Him  almost  daily  for  the  last  two  years  :  a  challenge  to  name 
one  wicked  thing  that  He  had  done  in  all  His  life.  No  man 
in  the  worlds  history  has  given,  could  truthfully  give,  such 
a  challenge.  Jesus  waited ;  his  enemies  stood  silent ;  the 
people  looked  on  in  wonder  and  awe,  as  they  compared  the 
calm,  beautiful  face  of  this  strong  young  Countryman,  with 
the  scowling  confusion  of  the  Pharisees.  Turning  away  from 
His  cowardly  enemies,  Jesus  resumed,  with  a  ring  of  victory 
in  His  voice — 

"Since  I  speak  the  truth,  why  do  you  not  beHeve  Me? 
Whoever  is  a  child  of  God,  believeth  the  words  of  God,  and 
that  is  why  you  do  not  believe  My  words,  for  you  are  not 


YOU    DO    DISHONOUR    ME.  235 

children  of  God."  These  words  made  the  chief  Judaeans  so 
angry  that  they  shouted  again  their  old  lying  insult,  now  so 
plainly  false,  with  another  insult  added  to  it — 

**  Thou  hast  an  evil  spirit  in  Thee,  Thou  art  a  Samaritan  !  " 
They  meant  that  He  hated  the  Judaeans,  and  was  full  of  wick- 
edness ;  shocking  words  from  men  who  only  a  few  moments 
before  could  not  name  one  wicked  thing  that  Jesus  had  done. 
Sad  and  pathetic  was  His  reply  to  this  shameful  taunt,  a  taunt 
too  vile,  too  like  common  brawling  for  priests  to  use  in  their 
place  of  worship — 

"  I  have  no  evil  spirit,"  Jesus  repHed,  "  but  I  honour  God, 
and  you  do  dishonour  Me.  I  do  not  seek  Mine  own  glory ; 
but  there  is  One  who  seeketh  and  who  judgeth — God.  If  a 
man  obey  My  words,  he  shall  never  see  death."  Now,  they 
thought,  we  have  caught  Him  at  last,  for  they  did  not  know 
Jesus  meant  that  all  who  had  His  Spirit  would  have  Heaven — 
an  endless  life  of  perfect  union  with  God. 

"  Now  we  are  sure  that  Thou  hast  an  evil  spirit,"  they 
exclaimed  with  a  shout  of  satisfaction.  "  Abraham  is  dead, 
the  prophets  are  dead,  and  yet  Thou  sayest  that  If  a  man 
obey  Thy  words  he  shall  never  die  !  Art  Thou  greater  than 
Abraham — greater  than  these  other  good  men  who  are  all 
dead?  Whom  dost  thou  make  Thyself  out  to  be?"  They 
hoped  to  press  Him  into  saying  something  about  Abraham, 
whom  the  people  reverenced  greatly,  which  would  set  them 
against  Jesus  ;  and  in  this  last  trick  they  partly  succeeded. 

"  If  I  were  to  praise  Myself,"  He  replied,  "  My  praise 
would  be  nothing.  It  is  God  who  glorifieth  Me,  and  you 
say  that  He  is  your  God,  although  you  have  never  known 
Him.  I  know  God,  and  if  I  were  to  say  I  do  not  know  Him 
I  should  be  a  liar,  like  yourselves ;  but  I  know  God  and  obey 
His  words.  Abraham  rejoiced  to  see  Me,  and  he  saw  Me  and 
was  glad."  Again  the  chief  Judaeans  interrupted  Him.  Think- 
ing only  of  His  life  on  earth,  they  exclaimed  with  a  shout  of 
contemptuous  rage — 

"  Thou  art  not  yet  fifty  years  old,  and  hast  Thou  seen 
Abraham?" 


236  AMONG    THE    MARBLE    PILLARS. 

One  against  hundreds.  This  word-battle  of  Truth  against 
falsehood,  of  the  Spirit  against  wickedness,  had  to  be  fought  out 
to  the  end,  and  many  who  heard,  never  forgot  it.  Jesus  now 
came  to  His  last  reply.  They  had  put  the  question,  and  He 
would  fearlessly  give  them  the  answer.  Standing  there,  a  young 
beautiful  Countryman,  in  the  finest  Temple  in  the  world, 
looking  calmly  at  the  old  mistaken  Teachers  of  the  people, 
He,  not  yet  thirty-three  years  old,  speaking  of  Abraham  who 
had  been  dead  for  more  than  a  thousand  years  ! — As  He 
reflected  upon  the  Spirit  of  God  which  was  in  Him,  He 
replied  calmly — 

"  I  tell  you  truly,  before  Abraham  was,  /^w." 

The  dispute  had  now  got  beyond  words.  The  people 
thought  Jesus  had  said  something  against  Abraham.  Leading 
them  on  with  wild  gestures,  the  chief  Judaeans,  calling  "Stones  ! 
stones  ! "  rushed  out  of  the  court  to  a  part  of  the  Temple 
which  was  still  building,  for  in  their  rage  they  intended 
to  stone  Him  to  death.  But  Jesus  went  away  and  hid  Him- 
self, leaving  the  Temple,  perhaps  hurried  out  into  the  town 
by  His  friends,  so  that  when  the  enraged  people  returned  He 
was  gone. 

And  so  amid  shouts  and  confusion  ended  His  last  teaching 
in  the  Temple  at  this  time,  a  teaching  that  closed  with  a  con- 
troversy and  a  challenge  which  spread  far  and  wide,  and  which 
the  chief  Judseans  never  forgot,  for  He  had  said  that  they  were 
liars,  and  followers  of  the  spirit  of  evil. 

And  thou  wilt  not  forget  how  Jesus,  standing  among  the 
marble  pillars^  looking  out  upon  the  crowds  who  listened  in 
the  court  oiitside,  standing  among  people  who  had  known 
Him  all  His  life — He,  so  pure,  so  gentle,  so  sensitive  to  every 
form  of  wickedness, — challenged  them  to  name  one  wicked 
thing  that  He  had  done,  and  even  His  enemies  could  not 
do  it. 

And  every  virtue  we  possess, 

And  every  victory  won, 
And  every  thought  of  holiness, 

Are  His  alone. 


FAREWELL    TO    GALILEE.  237 

FAREWELL   TO   GALILEE. 

GALILEE,    WINTER,   A.D.    ^;^. 

The  news  of  the  great  dispute  between  Jesus  and  the 
Pharisees  spread  over  Jerusalem,  and  He  did  not  go  back  to 
the  Temple,  but  left  the  city  and  returned  to  Galilee.  He 
went  to  Capernaum,  where  those  who  had  left  Jerusalem 
before  Him  had  told  the  people  all  about  His  sudden  appear- 
ance at  the  Festival  of  Bowers,  and  what  He  had  said  and 
done  there :  and  when  He  came  back  to  the  Lake-side,  His 
friends  gathered  round  Him,  for  some  did  not  expect  ever 
to  see  Him  again. 

He  resolved  to  rouse  the  country  once  more  before  return- 
ing to  Jerusalem,  for  He  had  determined  to  go  back  and 
attend  the  very  next  Festival,  called  the  Festival  of  Dedication, 
which  would  be  in  about  seven  weeks'  time.  Choosing 
seventy  of  His  friends,  He  prepared  them,  as  He  had  done 
the  disciples  a  year  before,  to  go  out  in  pairs  through  all  the 
towns  and  villages  of  Galilee  and  Judaea  also,  into  which  He 
was  about  to  go.  Calling  them  together,  He  spoke  to  them 
in  much  the  same  words :  warning  and  encouraging  them,  and 
this  is  part  of  what  He  said — 

There  is  much  to  do,  and  there  are  few  people  to  do  it ; 
pray  to  My  Father  in  Heaven  that  He  may  send  more  helpers. 
I  send  you  out  like  lambs  among  wolves.  Take  no  purse,  nor 
bag  of  bread,  nor  spare  shoes,  and  greet  no  man  on  the  road. 
When  you  go  into  a  house,  say, '  Peace  be  to  this  house,'  and 
if  a  good  man  be  there,  that  house  shall  have  peace,  but  if  not, 
then  your  peace  shall  return  to  you.  Stay  in  the  same 
house  eating  and  drinking  what  they  give  you,  for  you  deserve 
your  food,  but  go  not  from  one  house  to  another.  And  into 
whatever  city  you  go,  and  they  welcome  you,  eat  what  they 
give  you,  and  heal  the  sick  that  are  there,  and  teach,  saying, 
^  The  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  nea?-/^  But  if  you  come  to  a 
city  and  they  will  not  welcome  you,  go  through  the  streets  and 
say,  wiping  your  feet,  as  you  leave  it,  '  The  dust  of  your  city 
that  sticketh  to  our  feet,  we  wipe  off  against  you,  nevertheless 


238  SEVENTY    MEN    SENT    OUT. 

know  this,  that  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  hath  come  near  you/ 
It  shall  be  better  for  Sodom  than  for  that  city.  Nowadays 
ministers  are  paid  for  their  work,  but  these  seventy  men  were 
to  get  no  money,  only  food  and  shelter. 

x\s  Jesus  spoke  of  teaching  and  healing,  He  thought  of  what 
He  had  done  in  the  many  towns  that  were  crowded  round  the 
warm  Western  shores  of  that  beautiful  Lake,  which  He  was  now 
about  to  leave  never  to  return,  and  remembering  the  large 
towns  which  He  had  seen  on  His  long  journey  through 
Phoenicia,  He  exclaimed  in  words  almost  the  same  as  He  had 
used  before  when  returning  to  the  Lake  from  a  journey  among 
the  villages  of  Galilee — 

"  Woe  to  thee  !  Chorazin  and  Bethsaida,  cities  by  the  Lake, 
for  if  I  had  done  in  Tyre  and  Sidon  by  the  sea,  the  things 
which  I  have  done  in  you,  they  would  long  ago  have  mourned 
for  their  wickedness.  It  shall  be  better  for  them  than  for  you. 
And  thou,  Capernaum  !  shalt  thou  be  raised  up  ?  Thou  shalt 
be  brought  low.  If  I  had  done  the  things  in  Sodom  which  I 
have  done  in  thee,  Sodom  would  not  have  been  destroyed.  It 
shall  be  better  for  Sodom  than  for  thee."  Turning  again  to 
the  seventy  men.  He  gave  them  these  last  parting  words  of  en- 
couragement :  "  Whoever  hsteneth  to  you,  listeneth  to  j\Ie,  for 
you  speak  My  words ;  he  that  rejecteth  you,  rejecteth  Me, 
for  I  have  sent  you  out  to  teach,  and  whoever  rejecteth  Me, 
rejecteth  God,  for  He  sent  Me."  And  thus  these  seventy  men 
were  sent  out  two  by  two,  taking  the  brief  message  of  Heaven 
through  the  highways  and  lanes  and  valleys,  over  hills  and 
rivers  and  i^^to  every  city  and  village,  pondering  as  they  went 
the  saying  of  Jesus,  that  whoever  received  His  words,  received 
His  Spirit. 

Having  thus  sent  out  these  men  to  prepare  the  people, 
Jesus  remained  some  days  longer,  and  then  bidding  a  last 
farewell  to  His  friends  at  the  Lake- side.  He  started  with 
all  His  disciples  to  go  slowly  and  publicly  on  His  fourth 
and  last  journey  through  Galilee,  back  towards  Jerusalem, 
to  attend  the  great  December  Festival  of  Dedication.  It 
was  the  beginning   of  Winter,  and  cold  up  among  the  hills. 


THE    MIRROR    OF    THE    LAKE.  239 

The  fields  were  bare  and  brown,  the  last  of  the  purple  grapes 
and  the  dark  green  olives  had  been  gathered  and  crushed,  and 
the  trees,  shaken  with  the  wind,  had  cast  their  red  leaves  upon 
the  ground,  while  in  the  wooded  clefts  of  the  hills,  the  streams, 
swollen  with  rain,  foamed  and  sparkled  down  to  the  Jordan, 
that  plunged  and  wound  through  its  deep  gorge  of  rocks. 
From  the  white  shores  of  the  plain  of  Gennesaret  Jesus  and 
His  friends  chmbed  to  the  hills,  pausing  to  look  for  the  last 
time  on  the  blue  mirror  of  the  beautiful  Lake,  with  its  undulat- 
ing margins  of  white  beach,  dipping  bushes,  black  rocks,  and 
steep  cliffs  hung  with  trees,  all  set  like  a  deep  cup,  amid  the 
surrounding  hills  that  rose  ever  higher  towards  the  snow-clad 
Mount  Hermon — one  last  look — and  then  the  picture  was  shut 
out  from  view.  Passing  round  the  foot  of  Mount  Tabor,  with 
its  thickly  wooded  top,  Jesus  went  down  to  the  level  plains  of 
Endor  and  Esdraelon,  where  there  were  broad  rivers  and 
numerous  marshy  streams  to  cross,  that  watered  these  rich 
lands,  and  hundreds  of  villages  which  the  seventy  men  had 
prepared  for  His  coming.  After  spending  days,  perhaps  weeks, 
among  these  villages.  He  climbed  the  high  range  of  the  Carmel 
hills,  whence,  looking  across  the  rich  plain  of  Esdraelon  to  the 
wooded  hills  of  Nazareth,  He  took  His  last  farewell  of  His 
beloved  Galilee,  intending  to  go  through  Samaria  by  the  most 
direct  road  to  Jerusalem. 

Now  the  Judaeans  and  the  Samaritans  hated  each  other 
so  much  that  many  Judaeans  would  not  go  across  Samaria, 
and  the  Samaritans  liked  to  annoy  the  Judaeans  and 
Galileans  by  turning  them  back,  particularly  if  they  thought 
they  were  going  to  a  Festival.  But  Jesus  did  not  care  for 
these  foolish  enmities.  He  had  come  back  from  the  Pass- 
over Festival  two  years  ago,  through  Samaria  to  Galilee,  and 
was  very  kindly  received,  and,  as  He  had  done  during  the 
rest  of  His  journey,  He  sent  two  men  on  before  Him,  most 
likely  two  of  the  seventy  men,  to  a  village  a  little  way  into  the 
country  of  Samaria  to  prepare  things  for  His  coming,  for  He 
intended  to  stay  the  night  there.  It  was  toward  evening  when 
the  men  reached  the  village,  and  going  to  the  inn  for  strangers, 


240  A    SAMARITAN    VILLAGE. 

they  asked  them  to  make  ready  for  Jesus  and  His  friends. 
The  men  were  asked  questions  as  to  who  Jesus  was,  and 
whither  He  was  going,  and  hearing  that  they  were  GaHleans 
going  to  a  Festival  in  Jerusalem,  the  people  refused  to  take 
them  in.  When  the  two  men  brought  this  message  to  Jesus, 
He  did  not  turn  back,  but  went  on  towards  the  village,  and 
the  villagers  came  out  in  their  strange  dresses,  with  yelping 
dogs  and  long  sticks  to  meet  Him,  and,  standing  on  the  road, 
they  said,  with  threatening  gestures,  that  He  was  not  to  come 
into  their  village. 

Jesus  heard  them  calmly,  but  not  so  His  disciples,  who  were 
very  angry  that  these  great  little-nobodies  should  refuse  Jesus 
that  common  hospitality  which  was  always  shown  to  travellers. 
They  had  read  in  the  Bible,  that  long  ago,  in  that  very 
country,  a  prophet  had  called  down  fire  from  Heaven  upon 
a  captain  and  his  soldiers  who  had  come  from  a  wicked 
king ;  and  His  cousins,  James  and  John,  going  up  to  Jesus, 
exclaimed  with  suppressed  rage  as  they  pointed  eagerly  at  the 
villagers — 

"  Lord  !  shall  we  call  down  fire  from  the  skies  and  burn 
them  up  ?  "  Jesus,  who  had  been  speaking  to  the  villagers, 
turned  round  and  rebuked  the  cruelty  of  His  cousins.  He 
had  not  given  them  their  great  powers  that  they  might  kill 
foolish  people  who  resisted  them. 

"You  do  not  understand,"  He  said,  "what  kind  of  spirit 
you  are  of.  I  came  not  to  destroy  men's  lives,  but  to  save 
them."  And,  tired  as  He  was.  He  turned  back  and  left  the 
place,  walk'flg  to  another  Samaritan  village,  where  they  were 
received  kindly,  and  stayed  the  night.  But  He  was  obliged 
to  change  his  road  after  this,  and  instead  of  going  through 
that  country.  He  went  down  by  the  side  of  Samaria,  intending 
to  cross  the  Jordan  into  the  Peraean  country.  And  so,  because 
of  the  folly  of  these  villagers,  the  Samaritans  did  not  see  Jesus 
on  His  last  journey ;  but  although  they  did  this  to  Him,  He 
always  spoke  kindly  of  them. 

Learn  from  this  story  the  wickedness  of  giving  way  to  sud- 
den anger;  and  that  great  power  must  be  used  with  great 


TEN    LEPERS.  24 1 

wisdom.  James  and  John  wished  to  kill  these  villagers  with 
fire  for  not  welcoming  Jesus,  but  He  saw  in  it  nothing  grand 
and  fine,  only  wicked  cruelty  ;  and  told  them  that  they  did  not 
yet  understand  His  Spirit,  which  is  the  spirit  of  gentleness  and 
forbearance. 

TEN    LEPERS. 

SAMARIA,   WINTER,   A.D.   ^2' 

After  staying  a  night  in  the  Samaritan  village,  Jesus  and 
His  friends  went  their  way,  going  slowly  towards  Jeru- 
salem. The  road  from  the  hills  to  the  valley  of  the  Jordan 
passed  along  the  borders  of  Samaria,  and  was  one  often 
taken  by  travellers  on  the  way  to  Jerusalem.  It  led  down 
through  rugged  clefts  in  the  hills,  where  the  Wintry  floods  were 
rushing,  making  the  streams  difficult  and  at  times  dangerous 
to  cross.  Jesus  and  His  disciples  passed  some  villages  on  their 
way  down,  and  at  one  of  them  into  which  He  intended  to  go, 
they  were  stopped  by  a  strange  sight. 

Standing  upon  the  rocks  on  a  rising  ground,  at  a  distance 
from  the  road,  were  ten  miserable  men  clad  in  white,  who  were 
in  different  states  of  pitiful  sickness,  with  little  cloths  hanging 
over  their  mouths,  and  bells  at  their  waists.  They  needed  not 
to  cry,  "Unclean,  unclean  ! "  and  ring  their  bells  and  rattle  their 
wooden  clappers  for  Jesus  to  know  that  they  were  poor  sick 
lepers,  who  were  not  allowed  to  enter  any  village,  but  had  to  live 
in  wretched  huts  in  the  fields  outside  the  walls.  They  had  heard 
that  Jesus  healed  sickness,  and  that  He  was  coming  that  way, 
and  they  had  struggled  to  this  high  ground  that  He  might  see 
their  misery  and  pity  them.  When  they  saw  Him  coming  they 
raised  a  croaking  cry  for  help,  and  Jesus  stopped  and  made  a 
sign  to  them,  and  scrambling  down  from  the  rocks,  they 
came  nearer, 

"  Master,  have  mercy  on  us  ! "  they  begged  of  Him.  "  Master, 
have  mercy  on  us  !  "  When  He  saw  their  belief  in  Him, 
He  did  not  touch  them,  as  He  did  the  leper  in  the  Galilean 
village  a  year  before,  but  said  to  them — 


242  THE    FORDS    AT    BETHSHEAN. 

"  Go  and  show  yourselves  to  the  priests."  Now  every  leper 
had  to  get  a  letter  from  a  priest  that  he  was  healed,  before  he 
could  go  again  into  any  town  or  village.  The  lepers  knew  in  an 
instant  what  Jesus  meant.  Nine  of  them  had  to  go  to  Jerusa- 
lem, being  Judaeans,  and  one  to  Gerezim,  for  he  was  a  Samari- 
tan, and  they  all  started  to  go  at  once,  knowing  what  depended 
on  their  doing  as  they  were  told.  They  had  not  gone  far, 
until  they  felt  their  tottering  legs  grow  strong,  their  white 
hands,  soft  and  red.  They  were  healed,  even  before  they  had 
seen  the  priests  !  Then  they  talked  together,  and  the  nine 
Judaeans  resolved  to  hasten  on  to  the  priests  at  Jerusalem, 
that  they  might  be  the  sooner  restored  to  their  friends.  They 
did  not  think  of  returning  to  thank  Jesus.  But  when  the 
Samaritan  felt  himself  healed,  much  as  he  wished  to  see  his 
friends  again,  he  turned  back,  rejoicing  in  the  vigour  of  his 
steps,  shouting  to  all  whom  he  saw,  and  praising  God  for 
His  goodness,  until  he  overtook  Jesus,  and  then  he  knelt 
down  on  the  road  before  Him,  and  thanked  Him  earnestly, 
although  he  might  have  had  some  hesitation  in  saluting  a 
Jew.  Jesus  saw  from  the  man's  dress  and  manner  that  he 
was  a  Samaritan. 

"Did  I  not  heal  ten  lepers?"  He  asked  him.  "Where 
are  the  other  nine?  "  And  looking  round  at  the  people  who 
were  there.  He  added,  "  Of  these  ten  men,  not  one  hath 
thought  of  giving  thanks  to  God  but  this  stranger  !  "  And, 
turning  again  to  the  kneeling  Samaritan,  He  said,  "  Rise,  and 
go,  thy  trust  hath  healed  thee  ! "  And  the  man  rose,  with 
gratitude  iu-iiis  heart,  at  liberty  now,  to  go  to  the  priest  and  to 
his  friends. 

Jesus  walked  on  with  His  disciples  down  a  deep  gorge 
in  the  hills,  towards  the  fords  of  Jordan  near  Bethshean, 
where  the  river  was  wide  and  broad  with  high,  thickly- 
wooded  banks  on  each  side,  and  there  He  crossed  over  from 
Galilee  into  the  Peraea,  in  order  to  walk  up  the  Eastern  side  of 
the  river,  keeping  out  of  Samaria  until  they  should  reach  the 
Fords  near  Jericho,  where  He  would  cross  the  river  back 
again. 


I  THANK  THEE,  O  FATHER  !        243 

On  His  way  through  the  villages  of  Galilee  and  the  Peraea, 
the  seventy  men  whom  He  had  sent  out  some  weeks  before 
gradually  joined  Him  again,  each  bringing  in  the  same  joyful 
story,  mixed  with  a  touch  of  childish  exultation. 

"  Master,"  they  exclaimed,  *'  even  evil  spirits  obey  us, 
through  Thy  name  !  "  But  Jesus  did  not  hke  their  foolish 
words,  and  spoke  to  them,  saying — 

"  Be  not  joyful  because  evil  spirits  obey  you,  but  rather 
be  glad  that  your  names  are  written  in  Heaven."  But  they 
had  worked  hard  and  with  success,  and  He  rejoiced  that  while 
His  enemies  were  powerful  within  the  stone  walls  and  forts  of 
Jerusalem,  in  the  open  country,  among  the  green  glens  and 
wooded  hills  of  Galilee,  the  people  were  on  His  side.  Their 
success  deeply  touched  Him,  and  He  thanked  God  for  it  in 
this  short  prayer — 

"  I  thank  Thee,  O  My  Father,  Lord  of  Heaven  and  Earth, 
that  Thou  hast  hid  these  spiritual  things  from  the  men  of 
learning  and  of  wisdom,  and  hast  made  them  known  to  children 
and  simple  people ;  for  so  it  hath  pleased  Thee."  He 
rejoiced  that  His  spirit  was  welcomed  by  kind  hearts,  more 
than  by  clever  heads,  and  that  little  children  should  early 
receive  Him,  for  in  them  he  saw  angels  clad  in  rosy  flesh, 
companions  in  purity  with  Himself.  And  continuing.  He 
said — 

"All  things  have  been  given  Me  by  God  My  Father,  and 
none  but  God  knoweth  who  I  am,  nor  who  He  is,  but  I 
His  Son,  and  they  to  whom  I  show  Him."  Then,  turning  to 
His  disciples,  He  told  them  privately  how  blessed  they  were, 
saying,  "  Blessed  are  the  eyes  which  see  the  Spiritual  things 
which  yours  see,  for  prophets  and  kings  have  wished  to  see  the 
things  which  you  see,  and  have  not  seen  them,  and  to  hear 
what  you  hear,  but  did  not  hear  them." 

Remember  how  grieved  Jesus  was  that  these  Judaeans,  who 
ought  to  have  been  grateful,  went  away  in  their  new  strength 
without  thanking  God,  while  the  stranger  came  back  to 
do  so ;  for  many  people  beg  blessings,  who  in  the  joy  and 
comfort  of  enjoying  them,  forget  to  return   any  thanks,  but 


244  THE    LORDS    PRAYER. 

Ingratitude  though  very  common  and  cruel,  is  a  thing  which 
httle  children  can  easily  avoid  by  being  thoughtful  and  kind. 

THE   LORD'S    PRAYER. 

JORDAN,   WINTER,   A.D.   33. 

It  was  now  the  month  of  December,  the  season  when  heavy 
rains  soaked  the  ground  and  filled  the  watercourses  with 
brimming  streams,  when  cutting  winds  swept  down  the  gorges 
of  the  hills,  and  the  mountains  of  Northern  Lebanon  were 
white  with  snow. 

Jesus  continued  walking  with  His  friends  journeying  to- 
wards Jerusalem,  and,  perhaps  after  He  had  crossed  the  Jordan 
at  the  Fords  of  Bethshean  and  was  on  the  Persean  side.  He 
retired  with  a  few  of  His  disciples,  as  was  His  custom,  to  pray. 
Jesus  prayed  in  private,  and  all  His  prayers  that  we  have 
are  very  short ;  but  other  Teachers  prayed  before  the  people, 
for  ten  or  twenty  minutes  at  a  time.  In  the  crowded  Temple, 
on  the  busy  street,  they  Uked  to  be  seen  praying.  Jesus 
used  to  climb  a  quiet  hillside  to  be  alone ;  and  at  this  time, 
when  He  returned  to  His  disciples  after  praying,  some  of 
them  who  had  watched  Him  from  a  distance,  wished  they 
could  pray  as  He  did,  and  said — 

"  Lord,  teach  us  how  to  pray,  as  John  the  Baptist  taught  his 
followers."  Now,  while  Jesus  had  not  taught  His  disciples  any 
prayer  to  be  especially  their  own,  less  than  two  years  before, 
they  had  heard  Him  give  the  people  on  Mount  Hattin  a  short 
prayer  to  .Jtse.  But  perhaps  the  disciples  thought  they 
should  pray  differently  from  other  people,  which  was  a  great 
mistake.  This  is  what  He  said  to  the  people  and  the  disciples 
on  Mount  Hattin  about  praying — 

"When  thou  prayest,  do  not  be  Hke  the  hypocrites, 
who  love  to  pray  standing  up  in  churches  and  standing  at 
street  corners,  that  people  may  see  them  praying ;  for  in  being 
so  seen  they  have  received  their  reward.  But  when  thou 
prayest,  go  into  thine  own  room,  and  shut  the  door,  and  pray 
in  secret  to  thy  Father  in  Heaven,  for  He  seeth  in  secret  and 


OUR    FATHER    IN    HEAVEN.  245 

shall  reward  thee.  In  praying,  do  not  say  the  same  thing  over 
and  over  again,  as  foolish  men  do,  who  think  they  shall  be  heard 
because  they  speak  so  much.  Be  not  like  them,  for  God 
knoweth  what  thou  hast  need  of  before  thou  askest  Him," 

This  seemed  strange  to  the  disciples,  who  had  always  under- 
stood that  the  more  men  prayed,  the  better  men  they  were. 
The  Pharisees  had  a  prayer  for  every  hour  of  the  day,  and 
the  disciples  expected  Jesus  would  have  given  them  a  long 
prayer  to  learn  off:  but  instead  of  that,  He  now  repeated  over 
to  them  the  same  beautiful  short  prayer  which  He  had  given 
the  people  before  in  Galilee.  It  has  only  sixty-five  words  in 
it,  and  yet  it  has  all  that  Jesus  thought  His  disciples  should 
say.  A  httle  prayer,  that  for  two  thousand  years  has  been  said 
in  every  part  of  the  world,  and  in  almost  every  language.  A 
little  prayer,  that  can  all  be  said  in  a  minute — simple,  beauti- 
ful, earnest — in  grave  contrast  to  the  long  speeches  which 
some  professional  prayer-makers  say.  A  prayer,  in  which  we 
call  God  our  Father,  and  ask  for  only  one  gift,  food  for  our- 
selves, and  say,  that  as  we  do  to  others  so  may  God  do  to  us. 
A  little  prayer,  that  seeks  to  make  Heaven  upon  earth. 

"  When  you  pray,"  Jesus  said  to  His  disciples,  "  say  this : 
*  Our  Father  which  art  in  Heaven,  Hallowed  be  Thy  Name  ! 
Thy  kingdom  come.  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth,  as  it  is  in 
Heaven.  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread.  And  forgive  tis 
our  debts,  as  we  forgive  our  debtors.  And  lead  us  not  into 
temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  evil:  for  Thine  is  the  kingdom, 
and  the  power,  and  the  glory,  for  ever  J  " 

That  is  the  whole  of  the  prayer,  the  only  prayer  which 
Jesus  ever  taught,  and  thou  wilt  learn  it,  for  it  means  that 
thou  dost  ask  God,  whose  Name  is  ever  sacred,  to  spread  His 
Kingdom  of  Heaven  among  men,  that  we  may  all  obey  Him 
here,  as  the  angels  do  in  His  home  of  Heaven,  that  He  will 
give  thee  food  each  day,  and  forgive  thy  faults,  if  thou  dost 
forgive  others,  and  that  He  will  help  thee  to  resist  the  spirit 
of  evil  and  do  good.  This  little  prayer  is  not  difficult  to 
understand,  for  Jesus  made  it  short,  and  simple,  and  beautiful, 
that  children  may  learn  it. 


246  ASK,    AND    RECEIVE. 

No  doubt  His  disciples  were  disappointed  when,  having 
asked  for  a  special  lesson  in  praying,  they  were  told  to  say 
only  the  same  little  prayer  which  Jesus  had  already  given  to 
the  people.  They  saw,  however,  that  the  main  thing  in  it  is 
for  men  to  be  good.  For  if  we  are  good  to  others,  God  will 
be  good  to  us,  and  if  we  are  unkind  to  others  we  cannot  expect 
God  to  be  kind  to  us.  But  Jesus  told  them  that  they  must  be 
in  earnest  when  they  prayed,  not  praying  carelessly,  nor  were 
they  to  grow  tired  of  praying  and  give  it  up.  And  He  told 
them  this  story. 

"  A  man  had  a  friend,"  He  said,  "  and  he  went  to  him  in 
the  middle  of  the  night,  and  knocking  at  his  door,  said,  '  A 
traveller  hath  come  to  my  house  from  a  journey,  and  I  have 
no  food  to  give  him  :  lend  me  three  loaves  of  bread.'  To 
which  the  friend  answered  from  the  inside  :  *  Do  not  trouble 
me.  My  door  is  shut ;  and  my  children  are  with  me  in  bed. 
I  cannot  rise  and  give  thee  bread.'  Yet,"  added  Jesus, 
"  although  this  man  will  not  rise  because  he  is  his  friend,  if  he 
shall  continue  to  ask  and  will  not  go  away,  the  man  will 
rise  and  give  him  as  many  loaves  as  he  needeth."  Jesus 
meant  that  they  were  to  pray  as  earnestly  to  God  as  the  man 
in  the  story  had  asked  for  bread,  but  He  told  them  that  they 
would  not  find  God  slow  to  hear  them,  saying — 

*'Ask,  and  you  shall  receive.  Seek,  and  you  shall  find. 
Knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  to  you.  For  he  that  asketh 
receiveth  ;  he  that  seeketh  findeth  ;  and  to  him  that  knocketh 
it  is  opened."  Now,  some  of  the  disciples  had  little  children  of 
their  own ;  kud  that  they  might  understand  the  love  of  our 
Father  in  Heaven,  Jesus  asked  them  this  question — 

"Which  of  you  who  is  a  father,  if  his  son  should  ask  a 
loaf  of  bread  would  give  him  a  stone?"  No  one  answered, 
for  there  was  not  one  who  would  do  such  a  thing  to  a  little 
child.  "  Or  if  he  ask  a  fish,"  Jesus  continued,  "  would  give 
him  a  serpent?  Or  if  he  ask  an  egg,  would  give  him  a 
scorpion  ? "  Still  no  one  answered.  Such  things  would  of 
course  be  cruel,  for  the  scorpion  would  bite  the  child's  hand. 
Looking  calmly  upon  the  young  men  around  Him,  Jesus  ended 


THE    GOOD    SAMARITAN.  ^47 

His  lesson  on  prayer  by  telling  them  that  much  as  fathers  love 
their  children,  God  loveth  us  more,  and  is  wiUing  to  give  us 
His  Holy  Spirit,  a  gift  more  precious  than  anything  a  man 
can  give  to  his  child. 

"  If  you  then,  being  men,"  He  continued,  "  know  how  to 
give  good  things  to  your  children,  how  much  more  will  your 
Father  in  Heaven  give  His  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask  Him  ?  " 
— That  Holy  Spirit,  of  which  thou  hast  heard  so  often,  to 
dwell  in  them  and  bring  them  into  His  Kingdom,  and  make 
them  good  and  pure,  like  Jesus  Himself.  And  thus  He  told 
them  that  God  is  far  more  willing  to  give  us  His  Holy  Spirit 
than  any  man  can  be  willing  to  give  presents  to  his  own  dear 
children. 

When  thou  prayest,  remember  to  say  little  and  to  mean 
every  word.  Rather  do  not  pray  at  all  than  pray  without 
thinking.  Ask  for  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  that  He  may  never 
leave  thee ;  learn  also  the  prayer  of  Jesus,  and  use  it  when  so 
inclined.  Pray  as  though  Jesus  stood  beside  thee  listening ; 
and  pray  anywhere  and  at  any  time,  especially  at  evening  and 
morning,  remembering  that  prayer  from  a  pure  heart  is  sweet 
as  the  fragrance  of  flowers. 

THE   GOOD   SAMARITAN. 

JERICHO,   WINTER,  A.D.  2^. 

After  crossing  the  river  Jordan  at  the  Fords  of  Bethshean, 
Jesus  and  His  disciples  had  about  forty  miles  to  walk  along 
the  Peraean  side,  with  the  river  Jabbock  and  at  least  six  other 
streams  to  cross,  which  in  Wintry  spate  poured  through  their 
rocky  beds  down  to  the  Jordan's  deeper  channel.  Travelling 
was  thus  very  slow  and  often  dangerous,  and  it  would  be  two 
or  three  days  before  they  re-crossed  the  Jordan  by  the  well- 
known  Fords  near  Jericho,  where  they  were  beyond  the 
boundary  of  Samaria  and  into  Judaea. 

During  all  this  last  journey  from  Capernaum  to  Jerusalem, 
Jesus  taught  the  people  at  different  places.  Now  Jericho  was 
a  favourite  place  for  priests  and  Lawyers  to  live  at,  and  not 


248  WHO    IS    MY    NEIGHBOUR? 

far  from  there,  as  Jesus  was  teaching  one  day,  He  was  stopped 
by  a  clever  Lawyer,  who  evidently  had  carefully  prepared  him- 
self. He  wished  to  seem  like  an  earnest  enquirer  who  had 
come  to  ask  advice. 

"Master,  what  shall  I  do  to  have  Heaven?"  he  asked 
quietly.  Like  all  Lawyers  and  Pharisees,  he  thought  that 
Heaven  was  to  be  entered  by  keeping  laws  and  obeying  rules. 

"What  do  thy  books  of  the  law  say?"  Jesus  replied. 
"What  dost  thou  read  there?  "  This  Lawyer's  business  was 
to  study  these  books  and  to  teach  others  from  them,  and  he 
answered  smartly — 

"  As  written  by  Moses,  the  law  is,  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord 
thy  God,  with  all  thy  heart,  with  all  thy  soul,  with  all  thy 
strength,  and  with  all  thy  mind,  and  thy  neighbour  as  thyself." 
He  thought  the  discussion  was  just  beginning,  but  to  his  sur- 
prise the  young  Countryman,  who  had  never  been  to  college, 
turned  the  Lawyer's  answer  back  upon  himself  as  if  he  had 
been  a  school  boy,  saying  shortly — 

"Thou  hast  answered  rightly.  Do  that,  and  thou  shalt 
have  Heaven."  But  the  Lawyer  did  not  really  wish  to  know 
how  to  be  good ;  he  wished  to  discuss  theories  and  supposi- 
tions. It  seemed  like  telling  him  that  he  did  not  understand 
the  words  which  he  had  repeated  hke  a  parrot.  His  reputa- 
tion as  a  Teacher  was  at  stake,  and  he  answered  Jesus 
quickly — 

"But  who  is  my  neighbour?"  He  had  now  forgotten  his 
first  question,  and  wished  to  wrangle  about  the  meaning  of 
a  word.  ;Jut  Jesus  would  not  argue,  and  slowly  and  calmly 
to  this  professional  arguer.  He  began  to  tell  a  very  simple 
litde  story  about  a  Priest,  a  Levite,  and  a  Samaritan.  They 
were  near  Jericho,  and  would  soon  walk  up  the  very  road 
where  the  story  was  supposed  to  have  happened.  This  is  the 
story  Jesus  told. 

A  man  was  going  down  the  road  from  Jerusalem  to 
Jericho.  Now  that  road  is  through  a  wild  and  rocky  gorge, 
and  was  so  noted  for  armed  thieves,  that  men  were  afraid 
to  go  down  it  alone.     But  this  man  had  gone   by   himself. 


PRIEST,    LEVITE,    SAMARITAN.  249 

And  he  came  among  thieves,  who  attacked  him  and  beat 
him,  leaving  him  lying  wounded  on  the  side  of  the  road. 
While  he  lay  there  unable  to  rise,  a  Priest  from  the  Golden 
Temple  at  Jerusalem  happened  to  be  going  down  that  way, 
and  when  he  saw  the  man  lying,  he  would  not  go  near  him 
but  passed  by  on  the  other  side,  keeping  as  far  off  as  he  could. 
In  the  same  way,  a  Levite,  one  of  the  singers  from  the 
Temple,  when  he  came  to  the  place  where  the  poor  man  lay 
wounded  and  bleeding,  went  over  and  looked  at  him,  and 
crossing  the  road  again,  also  passed  by  on  the  other  side.  The 
wounded  man  was  a  poor  Judsean,  a  countryman  of  their  own, 
and  yet  these  professors  of  religion  would  not  help  him.  But 
a  man  from  Samaria,  riding  on  an  ass,  far  from  his  home  on  a 
journey,  came  down  next,  and  when  he  came  to  the  poor  man, 
he  was  sorry  for  him,  and  going  over  to  him,  poured  oil  and 
wine  upon  cloth  bandages,  and  tied  up  his  wounds,  and  lifting 
the  poor  man  on  to  his  ass's  back,  brought  him  to  an  inn  at 
Jericho,  and  stayed  with  him  there  all  night.  But  the  man 
had  been  robbed  of  everything,  and  next  morning,  before  the 
Samaritan  left  the  inn,  he  gave  the  landlord  some  money, 
saying,  "  Take  good  care  of  him,  and  whatever  thou  spendest 
more  than  this,  I  will  pay  thee  when  I  come  back  again." 
Perhaps  the  Samaritan  was  a  travelling  merchant,  who  was 
well-known  at  the  inns,  but  certainly  he  was  a  liberal-minded 
man  when  he  was  so  kind  to  a  Judaean  in  distress,  for  the 
Samaritans  hated  the  Judaeans  so  much  that  they  could  not 
even  bear  their  shadow  to  fall  upon  them.  But,  in  the  poor 
man  he  saw  only  a  fellow-traveller,  robbed  and  wounded.  If 
he  had  gone  down  the  road  first,  it  might  have  happened  to 
himself.  He  would  not  stay  his  kindness  because  the  man 
was  a  Judsean,  and  he  did  his  work  thoroughly,  even  to 
paying  for  him  at  the  inn. 

As  Jesus  told  this  story,  the  people  crowded  close  to  hear, 
for  He  told  it  in  a  way  that  touched  their  hearts,  even  the 
heart  of  the  Lawyer,  and  turning  to  him  when  He  finished, 
Jesus  asked — 

"  Which  of  these  three  men  was  neighbour  to  the  one  that 


250  GO    AND    DO    LIKEWISE. 

fell  among  the  thieves?"  The  answer  was  plain,  but  the 
proud  Lawyer  could  not  bring  himself  to  say  the  hated  word 
"  Samaritan,"  so  he  answered — 

''  The  one  who  was  kind  to  him,  was  his  neighbour."  Then 
Jesus  sent  him  away  with  these  words  to  think  over — 

"  Go  thou  and  do  the  same."  And  the  Lawyer  went  away, 
feehng  that  he  had  been  fully  answered,  for  he  made  no  reply. 
And  many  who  heard  Jesus  tell  this  story  felt  their  hearts  grow 
more  kind  and  generous,  especially  those  who  remembered 
that  only  a  few  days  before,  Jesus  Himself  had  been  turned 
away  from  a  Samaritan  village. 

And  thou,  too,  wilt  try  to  have  the  heart  of  this  good 
Samaritan  to  all  in  distress,  whether  it  be  a  brother  weeping, 
a  poor  boy  begging,  or  an  animal  in  pain — think  not  of  thy 
position  and  of  theirs,  think  only  of  their  distress,  and  do  what 
thou  canst  to  help  them,  looking  not  for  thanks,  for,  to  do 
what  Jesus  loves,  is  thanks  enough.  And  it  is  of  Him  that 
the  poet  Tennyson  writes  in  these  beautiful  words — 

And  so  the  Word  had  breath,  and  wrought 
With  human  hands,  the  creed  of  creeds 
In  loveliness  of  perfect  deeds 

More  stronff  than  all  poetic  thought. 


JERUSALEM   AND   THE   PER^A. 


THE   COTTAGE   AT   BETHANY. 

BETHANY,  WINTER,  A.D.   33. 

If  Jesus  went  into  Jericho  at  this  time, — the  city  of  towers 
and  soldiers,  whose  streets  were  shaded  by  the  feathery  palm, 
and  fragrant  with  the  scent  of  roses, — He  did  not  stay  long 
there,  but  went  on  by  the  stone-paved  road  that  wound  over 
bare  hills  towards  the  rocky  gorge  that  leads  up  to  Jerusalem. 
Six  hours  of  hard  walking  and  climbing,  brought  them  to  the 
top  of  the  gorge,  and  on  the  Eastern  side  of  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  where  they  went  into  the  sheltered  village  of  Bethany — 
the  home  of  dates — so  called  because  of  the  tall  date  palm- 
trees  which  grew  among  the  little  white  cottages.  It  was  built 
in  a  hollow  of  the  hill,  and  while  only  half  an  hour's  walk  from 
Jerusalem,  the  great  city  was  hidden  from  view  by  a  rising 
part  of  the  Mount.  To  this  day  Bethany  is  a  favoured  spot 
where  the  almond  tree  blows  white,  and  the  apricot  and  olive 
grow,  and  in  Spring  the  fresh  green  grass  is  coloured  with 
wildflowers  in  rare  profusion. 

At  the  beautiful  Lake  of  Gennesaret,  the  fisherman's  house 
had  been  the  home  of  Jesus,  and  now  He  was  to  find  His 
home  in  a  little  tree-shaded,  vine-covered  cottage,  at  Bethany. 
Lazarus,  a  rich  man,  lived  there,  with  his  two  sisters,  Martha 
and  Mary,  and  although  we  now  hear  of  them  for  the  first  time, 
it  is  likely  that  Jesus  had  stayed  with  them  before,  for  when  He 
came  to  the  village,  Martha  came  out  and  asked  Him  to  live 
at  their  house,  and  He  went.  Now,  she  was  the  elder  sister, 
and  she  at  once  began  to  prepare  food  for  Jesus  and  those 

251 


252  MARTHA    AND    MARY. 

who  were  with  Him,  but  Mary,  who  was  young,  and  who  had 
heard  Him  speaking  outside,  when  He  came  in  and  sat  talk- 
ing to  them  about  Heaven,  went  and  sat  on  the  floor  at  His 
feet,  Hstening  earnestly  to  every  word  He  said,  quite  forgetting 
that  food  had  to  be  prepared,  and  the  table  arranged  for  the 
hungry  guests.  Martha  had  much  to  do,  and  as  she  hurried  to 
and  fro  about  the  house,  she  wondered  why  Mary  did  not  help 
her  as  usual,  and  noticed  that  Jesus  was  talking  to  her,  while, 
all  unconscious  of  Martha's  growing  annoyance,  Mary  sat 
listening,  and  gazing  into  His  beautiful  face,  until  Martha 
could  restrain  herself  no  longer,  and  speaking  in  a  practical 
way,  as  if  she  were  speaking  to  her  brother,  she  said — 

"  Master  !  dost  Thou  not  care  that  my  sister  leaveth  me  to 
work  alone  ?  Tell  her  to  help  me  !  "  This  was  her  hasty  way 
of  chiding  Jesus  for  keeping  Mary  listening,  for  she  knew  that 
one  word  from  Him  would  send  her  to  help.  But  she  was 
troubling  herself  too  much  with  preparations,  and  about  Mary 
not  helping  her ;  and  did  not  consider  that  she  might  have 
greater  things  to  think  about  than  helping  to  prepare  dishes. 
Martha  might  have  seen  from  Mary's  face  that  she  was  ear- 
nestly thinking,  but  all  she  noticed  was  that  she  was  not 
helping  her  as  usual.  The  answer  of  Jesus  is  like  a  brother's 
reply.  In  a  half-playful  way  He  pointed  out  Martha's  fault, 
and  the  reason  for  Mary's  forgetfulness — 

"  Martha  !  Martha  ! "  He  said,  "  thou  art  anxious  and 
troubled  about  many  things,  but  one  thing  is  needed,  and 
Mary  hath  chosen  the  good  part  which  shall  never  be  taken 
from  her."  ^  Jesus  always  refused  to  be  a  judge  between 
people,  and,  while  letting  Martha  know  that  she  troubled  her- 
self too  much  about  trifles,  and  should  think  more  of  higher 
things.  He  told  the  youthful  Mary  that  she  was  wise  in  making 
sure  of  that  high  thing  about  which  she  sat  thinking ;  but  He 
did  not  say  she  was  not  to  help  her  sister.  It  is  likely  that, 
having  been  told  she  had  made  sure  of  the  one  object  of  her 
thoughts,  Mary  would  rise  and  help  her  kind  sister  Martha 
with  a  glad  heart  and  light  step,  for  they  were  both  good 
women,  and  Jesus  loved  them.     And  ever  after  this,  on  His 


THE    POOL    OF    SILOAM.  253 

visits  to  Jerusalem,  He  came  to  live  at  the  vine-clad  cottage  of 
Lazarus ;  and  how  much  more  like  brothers  and  sisters  were 
they  to  Him  than  His  own  brothers  and  sisters  at  Nazareth 
who  doubted  what  He  said  ! 

It  was  still  some  days  from  the  Festival  of  Dedication,  and 
Jesus  went  into  the  city  every  day  to  teach  in  the  Temple. 
Now  in  Jerusalem  there  were  a  great  many  beggars,  especially 
at  Festival  times,  when  strangers  came  in  from  the  country. 
All  who  were  poor  and  could  not  work,  begged,  and  the 
favourite  place  was  the  great  marble  steps  that  led  up  to  the 
outer  gates  of  the  Temple ;  there  the  lame  and  blind  and 
poor  sat  calling  to  the  crowds  who  were  passing  up,  to  give 
them  something. 

Among  them  was  a  well-known  beggar,  an  independent, 
fearless  man,  who  had  begged  since  he  was  a  child,  for  he  was 
born  blind,  and  yet  he  knew  all  that  was  going  on  in  the  city, 
and  was  known  as  "  the  man  who  was  born  blind."  In  that 
country  the  people  thought  that  such  a  thing  as  blindness 
must  have  come  as  a  punishment  to  the  man  or  his  father  or 
mother  for  being  bad,  and  the  disciples  believed  this  also. 
One  Sabbath  day,  as  they  were  going  through  the  city,  they 
saw  this  blind  beggar,  and  one  of  the  disciples  asked  Jesus — 

"  Master  !  who  was  bad  :  this  man,  or  his  parents,  that  he 
was  born  blind?"  Such  ideas  were  nonsense,  and  Jesus 
answered — 

"  Neither  this  man  nor  his  parents  have  been  wicked ; " 
adding,  ^'  I  must  work  the  works  of  God  who  sent  Me  while  I 
can  ;  for  the  night  cometh,  when  no  man  can  work  " — mean- 
ing that  we  should  do  good  while  we  can,  for  death  stops  all 
work  ;  and  while  He  stood  speaking  at  the  steps  of  the  Tem- 
ple, some  one  brought  the  man  up  to  Him  that  He  might  heal 
him,  and  soon  a  crowd  gathered.  Taking  some  of  the  dust  of 
the  street  in  His  hand,  and  spitting  upon  it,  Jesus  made  a 
little  clay  with  His  finger,  and  rubbing  it  upon  the  eyes  of  the 
blind  beggar,  He  said  to  him — 

"Go  and  wash  in  the  Pool  of  Siloam,"  which  was  the 
favourite  spring  of  the  city.     And  Jesus  went  away  with  His 


254  THE    BEGGAR    AND    THE    PRIESTS. 

disciples,  leaving  the  man  to  do  as  He  said.  There  he  stood, 
with  the  yellow  clay  upon  his  eyes,  blind  still ;  some  were 
laughing  at  him,  some  advising  him  to  try  it.  But  the  beggar 
never  had  a  doubt.  Grasping  his  staff  firmly,  and  pushing  the 
people  aside,  he  walked  off  towards  the  pool,  for  he  knew  the 
streets,  and  the  people  followed  him.  Through  the  winding 
streets,  out  by  the  city  gate,  down  the  road  into  the  vale  of 
Kedron,  down  to  the  edge  of  the  clear,  sparkling  pool ;  and 
while  some  jeered,  he  knelt  quickly  and  washed  off  the  clay, 
and  as  he  did  so  the  light  of  day  dawned  for  the  first  time 
upon  his  eyes. 

And  thou  wilt  remember,  from  the  pretty  glimpse  which 
thou  hast  had  into  the  cottage  at  Bethany,  that  the  first  thing 
is  to  get  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  and  after  that  thou  mayest  run  to 
and  fro  serving  Him ;  and  never  let  the  bustle  of  the  world 
rise  so  high  in  thy  mind  that  thou  canst  not  see  when  any  one 
is  sitting  in  silent  worship  at  His  feet. 


THE   BEGGAR  AND    THE   PRIESTS. 

JERUSALEM,  WINTER,  A.D.   33. 

As  the  beggar  stood  by  the  side  of  the  sweet,  sparkling  Pool 
of  Siloam,  in  the  valley  of  the  Kedron,  with  the  great  white 
walls  of  the  Temple  towering  on  the  chfts  above  him,  and  the 
wild  rocks  rising  on  the  other  side  of  the  stream  to  the  foot 
of  Olivet,  the  people  pressed  round  him  to  see  his  eyes.  He 
did  not  car^^for  them,  but  pushed  his  way  through  the  throng, 
with  his  staff  dangling  in  his  hand,  and  looking  about  him, 
returned  up  the  rough  path  to  the  city.  When  he  reached  his 
old  haunts,  all  who  knew  him  exclaimed — 

''Is  not  this  he  who  sat  and  begged?"  And  some  an- 
swered, "  Yes,  it  is  he  ;  "  and  others  said,  "  No,  but  it  is  like 
him  ;  "  a:nd  overhearing  them,  he  exclaimed  stoutly — 

"  I  am  he  !  "  Then  the  people  in  the  city  came  to  look  at 
him,  and  some  one  asked — 

"  How  were  thine  eyes  opened  ?  "     And  his  answer  shows 


BAREFOOTED,    WITH    RAGS    AND    STICK.        255 

that,  though  sitting  blind  by  the  roadside,  he  had  heard  of 
Jesus. 

"  The  man  that  is  called  Jesus  made  clay  and  put  it  upon 
mine  eyes,  and  said  to  me,  *  Go  to  Siloam  and  wash ; '  and  I 
went,  and  washed,  and  see."  There  were  Pharisees  among 
the  people,  and  when  they  heard  the  name  of  Jesus,  one  of 
them  said — 

"  Where  is  He?  "  The  sturdy  beggar  had  an  idea  that  this 
sharp  question  meant  mischief,  for  Jesus  had  healed  him  on 
the  Sabbath  day,  which,  as  thou  knowest,  was  against  the 
rules  of  the  Pharisees,  and  he  answered — 

"  I  do  not  know."  For  truly  he  did  not  know  where  Jesus 
might  be  by  that  time ;  and  he  tried  to  go  away,  but  the 
Pharisees  told  him  he  must  come  with  them  before  the  council 
of  priests,  for  having  had  something  to  do  with  Sabbath  break- 
ing. They  hoped  to  get  him  to  blame  Jesus,  but  he  intended 
to  do  nothing  of  the  kind.  He  was  only  a  beggar,  with  nothing 
to  lose ;  but  he  had  a  stout,  grateful  heart,  and  in  cleverness 
was  equal  to  the  Pharisees ;  and  at  length  he  stood  before  the 
council,  barefooted  with  stout  stick  and  rags,  a  fearless 
prisoner.  The  Pharisees  could  not  punish  the  grateful  beggar 
for  letting  himself  be  healed,  but  they  hoped  to  turn  him  into 
a  witness  against  Jesus,  for  this  was  the  sixth  healing  they 
knew  that  Jesus  had  done  on  the  Sabbath.  Even  to  make  so 
much  clay  as  could  stand  on  the  finger-tip  was,  they  said,  to 
work  on  the  Sabbath. 

"  How  didst  thou  receive  thy  sight?  "  they  asked  the  beggar. 
He  had  already  told  the  Pharisees  in  the  street  all  about  it, 
and  got  taken  a  prisoner  through  doing  so ;  and  he  intended 
to  say  very  little  now. 

"  He  put  clay  upon  mine  eyes,"  he  rephed,  "  and  I  washed, 
and  see."  There  was  no  doubt  of  the  healing,  for  many  of 
the  council  had  seen  him  blind,  before,  as  he  begged  at  the 
Temple,  and  they  discussed  the  case  earnestly  among  them- 
selves. 

"This  Jesus  is  not  a  good  man,"  said  one,  "  for  He  keepeth 
not  the  Sabbath."     But  said  another,  thoughtfully — 


256  ONCE    BLIND,    NOW    I    SEE. 

"How  can  a  wicked  man  do  a  thing  like  this?"  And  so 
the  council  were  divided,  and  disputed  with  each  other,  while 
the  sturdy  beggar  stood  at  the  bar  looking  closely  at  them  from 
under  his  tattered  turban.  Then  some  one  thought  they  should 
ask  him  whether  he  thought  Jesus  a  good  man,  and  he  put  the 
question  thus — 

"  What  dost  thou  say  about  Him  who  opened  thine  eyes  ?  " 
And  they  waited  for  his  answer. 

"  He  is  a  Prophet,"  the  beggar  replied  with  vigour,  mean- 
ing that  Jesus  was  a  good  man ;  and  this  set  the  council  talk- 
ing again.  Some  said  they  did  not  believe  the  man  had  ever 
been  bhnd,  and  that  he  was  a  cheat ;  and  then  his  father  and 
mother  were  sent  for,  and  after  some  delay  the  two  old  people, 
much  afraid,  were  made  to  stand  beside  their  bold  son. 

"Is  this  your  son  whom  you  say  was  born  bhnd?"  the 
chairman  asked  them  sternly.  He  hoped  they  would  say  no ; 
but  they  answered  humbly — 

"  We  know  that  this  is  our  son,  and  that  he  was  born  blind ; 
but  we  do  not  know  how  he  can  now  see,  or  who  hath  made 
him  see.  Ask  him,  he  is  old  enough,  and  shall  speak  for 
himself."  They  were  only  poor  timid  people,  and  knew  that 
their  sturdy  son  could  take  care  of  himself,  and  had  also  heard 
that  some  of  the  council  had  threatened  that  if  any  one  said 
Jesus  was  the  Christ  they  would  be  punished.  The  beggar 
had  heard  this  too.  The  council  were  now  almost  forced  to 
admit  that  this  man  had  been  healed,  for  no  one  would  deny 
it ;  but  they  thought  they  would  hear  the  man's  story  over 
again.  He  .=eemed  a  bold  fellow,  and  a  solemn  warning  might 
frighten  him. 

"  Give  God  the  praise,"  the  chairman  said  sternly  to  him, 
which  was  a  rebuke  for  calling  Jesus  a  Prophet.  "  We  know 
that  this  Jesus  is  a  wicked  man."  They  expected  the  beggar 
to  deny  this,  and  waited  for  his  reply.  But  he  answered  in  a 
cautious,  dogged  way  that  irritated  them — 

"  Whether  Jesus  be  a  wicked  man  or  no,  I  know  not,  but 
one  thing  I  do  know,  that  once  I  was  blind  and  now  I  can 
see."     He  kept  to  the  point. 


THE    BEGGAR^S    LESSON.  257 

"  What  did  He  do  to  thee  ?  "  they  asked  him  again.  "  How 
did  He  make  thee  see  ?  "  Now  this  sturdy  beggar  disUked  the 
priests.  They  had  shown  him  no  kindness  when  he  was  bhnd, 
and  now  that  he  could  see,  he  knew  that  they  were  hypocrites 
who  were  only  seeking  for  an  excuse  to  punish  both  him  and 
Jesus ;  and  seeing  their  great  eagerness  that  he  should  tell  the 
story  for  the  third  time,  he  asked  them  all,  with  a  grin  upon 
his  unshaven  visage,  as  he  looked  at  their  fine  clothes  and 
gold  finger  rings — 

"  I  told  you  only  this  minute,  how  He  healed  me,  and  you 
did  not  listen.  Why  do  you  want  to  hear  it  again?  Do  you 
wish  to  become  disciples  of  His?"  He  well  knew  how  they 
hated  Jesus,  that  to  say  such  a  thing  was  to  insult  the  whole 
council  and  put  them  into  a  passion ;  and  he  was  not  surprised 
when,  forgetting  their  high  position,  they  began  to  scold  with 
tongues  no  better  than  his  old  beggar-companions. 
.  "  Thou  art  His  disciple  !  "  they  cried.  "  We  are  disciples 
of  Moses.  We  know  that  God  spoke  to  Moses,  but  as  for  this 
fellow  Jesus,  we  know  not  whence  He  is."  With  another 
roguish  grin,  and  lifting  his  hands  in  mock  astonishment,  the 
beggar  exclaimed,  interrupting  them — 

"  Why,  this  is  a  wonderful  thing  !  that  you  do  not  know 
where  He  came  from,  and  yet  He  healed  my  blindness  ! " 
And  this  bold  witty  beggar  in  rags,  who  feared  no  man,  pro- 
ceeded to  give  these  proud  religious  Teachers  a  lesson  of  his 
own  thinking,  although  he  knew  he  would  be  punished  for  it. 
"  We  know  that  God  will  not  hear  bad  persons,"  he  continued  ; 
"  but  if  one  be  a  worshipper  of  God  and  doeth  His  will,  God 
heareth  him.  Since  the  beginning  of  the  world  a  man  hath 
never  been  known  to  give  sight  to  one  who  was  born  blind. 
If  this  man  did  not  come  from  God,  He  could  not  do  it." 
Thus  he  tried  to  teach  his  masters,  who  had  themselves  often 
said  that  God  would  not  hear  bad  men.  But  to  be  taught  by 
a  beggar  !  however  right  he  might  be,  was  what  the  council 
would  not  stand ;  and,  full  of  superior  goodness,  they  answered 
him  thus — 

"Thou  wast  altogether  born  in  wickedness,  and  dost  thou 


258     THE  SHEPHERD  AND  THE  SHEEP. 

try  to  teach  us  ?  "  And  they  sentenced  him  at  once  to  be 
cast  out,  which  was  that  he  should  not  be  allowed  into  any 
church,  that  people  should  not  speak  to  him  nor  in  any 
way  help  him ;  and  calling  their  guards,  they  had  the  man 
rudely  put  out  of  the  council  hall.  But  what  did  it  matter  to 
a  beggar  !  who  had  no  wish  to  trouble  the  churches  of  these 
hypocrites?  If  he  could  meet  Jesus  Himself,  it  would  be 
something  more  to  his  mind.  And  with  a  cheerful  face  he 
walked  away  in  the  sunshine  between  his  old  father  and 
mother.  He  wished  to  see  Jesus,  for  he  had  only  heard  Him 
before.  The  news  of  his  defence  and  punishment  spread 
through  Jerusalem,  and  Jesus  heard  of  it  and  sought  and  found 
the  beggar  in  the  street,  and  made  Himself  known  to  him. 

"Dost  thou  believe  on  the  Son  of  God?"  Jesus  asked 
him. 

"And  who  is  He,  Master?  that  I  may  believe  on  Him," 
for  he  was  wilhng  to  do  whatever  Jesus  told  him. 

"  Thou  hast  seen  Him,"  said  Jesus  quietly,  "  and  //  is  He 
that  speaketh  to  thee  nowT 

"  Lord  !  I  beheve,"  exclaimed  the  beggar,  as  kneehng  down 
upon  the  road,  regardless  of  Pharisees  or  any  one  else  who 
might  see  him,  he  worshipped  the  young  Countryman  from 
Galilee. 

To  be  grateful  is  to  be  good.  Imitate  the  courage  of  this 
sturdy  beggar.  He  had  never  seen,  he  did  not  know  Jesus, 
but  He  had  been  kind  to  him,  and  he  would  stand  up  for 
Jesus  whether  in  the  street  or  before  the  council,  teaching  all 
Jerusalem  theft  to  be  an  outcast  with  Jesus  was  better  than  to 
win  the  favour  of  the  Rulers. 

THE  SHEPHERD  AND  THE  SHEEP. 

JERUSALEM,   WINTER,   A.D.    2iZ' 

After  speaking  to  the  beggar  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem, 
Jesus  began  to  teach  the  people,  most  likely  going  into  the 
Temple.  Speaking  to  those  who  had  seen  the  joy  of  the  poor 
man.  He  said — 


HOW    SHEEP    FOLLOW    THE    SHEPHERD.        259 

"  I  came  to  the  world  that  they  who  do  not  see  might  get 
sight,  and  that  they  who  see  might  become  bUnd  " — meaning 
that  He  had  come  to  make  humble  people  good,  and  proud 
people  foolish  ;  and,  hearing  this,  a  Pharisee,  who  thought  that 
only  the  common  people  could  be  called  blind  or  ignorant, 
exclaimed — 

"Are  we  Pharisees  blind  also?" 

"If  you  were  humble,"  said  Jesus,  "you  would  have  no 
badness,  but  now  you  think  you  are  good,  and  so  you  remain 
bad." 

Jesus  had  come  from  the  green  sheep  pastures  of  Galilee, 
but  the  people  before  Him  did  not  know,  when  they  saw  the 
poor  sheep  driven  in  terror  through  the  stony  streets  of  Jeru- 
salem, how  much  the  shepherds  of  Galilee  and  of  Bethlehem 
loved  their  sheep.  And  he  told  them  a  story  with  a  meaning, 
about  the  shepherds  who  gather  their  sheep  at  night  into  a 
fold,  which  is  a  large- open  space  with  stone  walls  round  it, 
covered  on  the  top  with  strong  prickly  thorns  to  keep  the 
wolves,  leopards,  or  panthers  from  leaping  over.  Supposing 
the  sheep  to  be  all  inside,  Jesus  said — 

"  Whoever  cometh  not  into  the  sheepfold  by  the  door,  but 
climbeth  over  the  wall,  is  a  thief  and  robber.  But  he  that 
cometh  to  the  door  is  the  shepherd,  and  the  keeper  within 
openeth  the  door  to  him."  He  told  them  also  how  the  shep- 
herds of  Galilee  separated  their  own  sheep  from  others.  "  The 
sheep  know  their  shepherd's  voice,  and  he  calleth  his  own 
sheep,  each  by  its  name,  and  leadeth  them  out  to  the  pastures." 
And  then  He  told  them  a  beautiful  thing  which  would  surprise 
any  one  who  had  only  seen  sheep  in  the  streets  of  a  town. 

"'  When  the  shepherd  hath  got  out  all  his  own  sheep  from 
the  fold,  he  walketh  before  them  and  they  follow  him,  for  they 
know  his  voice.  They  will  not  follow  a  stranger,  but  will  run 
from  him,  for  they  do  not  know  his  voice,  and  are  afraid." 
Thou  canst  see  the  pretty  picture.  The  shepherd  in  the  early 
morning,  with  staff,  and  cloak,  and  dog,  and  the  white  woolly 
sheep  running  after  him,  some  pressing  close  to  his  side,  some 
with  little  lambs  frisking  round  them,  and  all  winding  up  the 


26o  THE    GOOD    SHEPHERD. 

green  sheltered  valley  to  the  cool,  windy  mountain.  In  Scot- 
land a  sight  may  be  seen  not  much  different  from  this,  as  at 
the  evening  hour,  when  clouds  are  red  and  the  heather  glows 
purple  in  the  sunset,  the  red-cheeked  milkmaid,  bare-footed, 
yellow-haired,  goes  forth  to  the  hillside,  calling,  calling  and 
singing,  and  soon  her  dappled  cows  come  lowing  up  from  the 
bushy  burn,  and  winding  down  from  the  rocky  hill,  and  then 
she  turns  and  leads  them  home  to  milking.  But  they  will  not 
come  to  a  stranger's  voice. 

Jesus  next  spoke  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  as  a  great 
sheep  fold,  and  called  Himself  the  door  of  it,  by  which  all 
may  come  in,  saying — 

"  I  am  the  Door  of  the  fold  of  Heaven.  All  who  enter  in 
by  Me  shall  be  saved,  and  shall  go  in  and  out  and  find  food 
and  rest."  He  spoke  next  of  two  kinds  of  shepherds,  the 
good  shepherd  who  watches  his  own  sheep  and  loves  them, 
and  the  bad  shepherd  who  watches  the  sheep  for  money  only, 
saying,  "  A  good  shepherd  will  risk  his  life  for  his  sheep.  But 
the  man  who  worketh  for  money  only,  and  is  not  a  good  shep- 
herd, to  whom  the  sheep  do  not  belong,  when  he  seeth  a  wolf 
coming,  leaveth  the  sheep,  and  runneth  away,  and  the  wolf 
biteth  and  scattereth  them,  while  he  fleeth,  because  he  worketh 
for  money  only,  and  careth  not  for  the  sheep."  Then  Jesus 
told  them  that  He  was  the  good  Shepherd  who  loves  His  fol- 
lowers, saying — 

"  I  am  the  Good  Shepherd,  and  know  Mine  own  followers, 
and  they  know  Me,  just  as  God  My  Father  in  Heaven  knoweth 
Me  and  I  know  Him ;  and  I  shall  lay  down  My  life  for  My 
followers  " — meaning  that  He  would  not  flee  when  the  time  of 
danger  came,  but  would  rather  be  killed.  He  had  spoken  as 
if  Jews  alone  were  to  enter  the  fold  of  Heaven,  but  now  He 
told  the  people  again  what  He  had  told  them  at  Capernaum 
eighteen  months  before,  that  Heaven  is  open  to  all  the  world. 
"  I  have  other  sheep.  He  said,  which  are  not  of  this  fold ; 
them  also  I  must  lead,  and  they  shall  know  My  voice,  and 
all  shall  become  one  great  flock  with  one  shepherd.  And  My 
Father  in  Heaven  loveth  iMe  because  I  shall  lay  down  My 


I    WILL    LAY    DOWN    MY    LIFE.  26 1 

life,  that  I  may  take  it  up  again.  No  one  taketh  My  life  from 
Me,  but  I  lay  it  down  of  My  own  free  will ;  for  I  have  power 
to  lay  it  down,  and  I  have  power  to  take  it  again.  This  I 
received  from  God." 

Strange  things  for  the  people  to  hear  amid  the  stone  arches 
of  the  Temple  court,  or  perhaps  in  a  street  of  Jerusalem  !  A 
fresh  young  Countryman  talking  of  the  ways  of  the  shepherds 
of  His  native  hills,  and  in  the  next  sentence  saying  that  He 
would  lay  down  His  life  for  His  followers,  and  take  it  up  again. 
Die,  and  yet  live !  what  did  He  mean  ?  Little  wonder  that 
the  people  were  astonished,  and  talked  about  Jesus  while  the 
bitter  Pharisees,  who  thought  He  spoke  foolishness,  could  only 
repeat  their  old  cruel  he  about  Him. 

"  He  hath  a  spirit  of  evil  in  Him,  and  is  mad,"  and  turning 
to  the  people,  they  said,  "  Why  do  you  listen  to  Him  ?  "  Why, 
indeed,  did  the  people  listen  to  this  plain  young  Countryman, 
rather  than  to  their  own  trained  religious  Teachers  ?  who  thought 
that  all  knowledge  and  all  wisdom  were  bound  up  in  their  parti- 
cular turbans  !  But  some  of  the  better  among  them  said  with 
grave  faces — 

"  These  are  not  the  words  of  one  who  hath  a  spirit  of  evil." 
Goodness,  gentleness,  self-sacrifice,  these  were  things  which 
could  not  come  from  a  bad  spirit ;  He  must  have  a  good  spirit 
in  Him.  And  they  repeated  to  each  other  the  question  which 
the  beggar  had  put  to  their  council  that  day — 

"  Can  any  one  who  hath  a  spirit  of  evil  give  sight  to  a  blind 
man?  "  But  they  were  afraid  to  answer  the  question  truthfully. 

Remember,  my  child,  to  be  kind  to  all  living  things. 
Wouldst  thou  have  the  redbreast  sing  thee  his  sweetest  song? 
feed  him  with  crumbs  in  Winter,  and  in  Summer  he  will  flutter 
round  thee  in  the  garden.  Love  thy  pony,  thy  dog,  thy  canary, 
and  when  thou  art  a  man  thou  wilt  not  be  found  hunting  a 
frightened  hare  to  death,  or  pouring  bullets  into  the  breasts  of 
fluttering  grouse  ;  for,  as  Samuel  Coleridge  said — 

"  He  prayeth  best  who  loveth  best 
All  things  both  great  and  small. 
For  the  great  God  who  loveth  us, 
He  made  and  loveth  all." 


262  Solomon's  porch  in  winter. 

solomon's  porch  in  winter. 

JERUSALEM,   WINTER,   A.D.  33. 

The  Festival  of  Dedication  had  come.  It  was  held  in 
December,  when  the  moon  was  full  and  lasted  for  eight  days, 
during  which  the  people  feasted,  danced,  rejoiced,  and  Ht  up 
their  houses  with  httle  candles,  while  the  priests  had  special 
services  in  the  Temple,  and  illuminations  with  torches,  candles, 
and  lamps.  One  hundred  and  sixty  years  before,  the  Temple, 
which,  as  the  Jews  thought,  had  been  rendered  unfit  for  their 
worship,  was  purified,  a  new  altar  built,  and  the  whole  re- 
opened, and  dedicated  afresh  with  great  joy  by  Judas  Macca- 
baeus,  a  Jewish  soldier,  and  the  joyful  Festival  was  in  memory 
of  that  event. 

The  Temple  was  crowded  every  day  with  people  from  all 
parts  of  the  country.  Perhaps  it  rained,  perhaps  the  feathery 
snow  was  falling  on  the  coloured  marble  of  the  great  open 
squares ;  but  one  day  the  people  sought  the  shelter  of  the 
covered  porches.  Now  Solomon's  porch  was  the  most  famous 
of  all  the  porches,  for  it  was  partly  built  of  the  same  white 
marble  blocks  of  which  the  first  temple  was  made  by  King 
Solomon  about  one  thousand  years  before.  It  stood  on  the 
top  of  the  huge  wall  that  was  built  up  from  the  Kedron  valley, 
and  had  in  it  a  double  row  of  splendid  marble  pillars  which 
supported  a  roof  of  marble  and  cedar  wood ;  on  one  side, 
it  was  open  to  the  great  Court  of  the  Gentiles,  while  on  the 
other  side.  *vindows  looked  Eastward,  out  towards  the  Mount 
of  Olives  and  the  rising  run. 

Jesus  also  sought  the  shelter  of  this  porch,  and  walked 
between  the  rows  of  pillars,  upon  the  red  and  green  marble 
pavement,  from  which  He  had  a  view  out  across  the  deep  and 
dizzy  valley  of  the  Kedron,  that  flowed  in  Wintry  torrent,  and 
over  to  the  terraced  slopes  of  Olivet,  with  the  road  to  Bethany 
winding  over  its  shoulder ;  and  perhaps  He  saw  the  rare  sight 
of  falling  snow  powdering  field  and  wood,  crag  and  slope, 
with  dazzling  whiteness.    But  He  did  not  walk  there  unnoticed 


I,    AND    GOD,    ARE    ONE.  26 


O 


by  the  Pharisees  and  their  friends.  They  were  celebrating  in 
this  Festival  the  successful  result  of  a  revolt  against  oppression, 
and  thoughts  of  a  revolt  against  the  Romans  were  present  in 
the  minds  of  the  people.  The  Pharisees  hoped  that  they 
might  make  use  of  this  feeling  to  tempt  Jesus  into  favouring  a 
rising  of  the  people  against  their  Roman  oppressors,  round 
Him  as  the  Christ,  which  would  lead  to  a  riot,  and  His  being 
taken  a  prisoner  as  the  leader.  Coming  to  Him  as  He  walked 
in  Solomon's  porch,  as  though  they  were  His  warmest  friends, 
they  said,  urging  Him — 

"  How  long  wilt  Thou  keep  us  in  doubt  ?  If  Thou  art  the 
Christ  tell  us  plainly."  Their  question  looked  as  if  He  had 
been  hiding  something  from  them,  whereas  it  was  they  who 
would  not  believe  Him  when  He  spoke.  His  reply  reminded 
them  gently  of  this — 

"  I  have  told  you,"  He  said,  "but  you  will  not  believe  Me ; 
and  the  wonderful  things  which  I  do  in  the  name  of  God, 
they  confirm  what  I  say."  And  He  also  reminded  them  of 
what  He  had  said  a  day  or  two  ago  about  the  shepherd  and 
the  sheep,  continuing — 

"  You  do  not  believe  Me,  because  you  are  not  My  followers. 
My  sheep  hear  My  voice  and  follow  Me,  and  I  know  My 
followers  and  shall  give  them  Heaven,  and  they  shall  never 
perish,  nor  shall  any  one  take  them  out  of  My  hand.  God 
who  gave  them  to  Me  is  greater  than  all,  and  no  one  can  take 
them  out  of  His  hand.  I  and  God  are  OneT  Having  now 
been  plainly  told  that  Jesus  was  One  in  Spirit  with  God,  these 
pretended  friends  of  His,  instead  of  rejoicing  to  hear  Him  say 
so,  stopped  Him  with  rude  angry  cries,  and  running  through 
the  court  to  a  part  of  the  Temple  where  the  building  was 
being  repaired,  they  returned  with  stones  in  their  hands,  say- 
ing they  would  stone  Him.  But  He  did  not  fear  the  anger 
that  flashed  in  their  dark  eyes,  for  He  knew  that  they  had 
always  hated  Him. 

"  Many  good  things  have  I  shown  you  from  God,"  He 
said,  looking  calmly  at  them.  "  For  which  of  these  do  you 
stone  Me?"     And  He  waited  for  their  answer,  which  was  a 


264  STONE    HIM. 

hasty  admission  that  He  had  only  one  fault, — He  was  the 
Christ. 

"  For  a  good  thing  we  do  not  stone  Thee,"  they  replied 
hotly,  "but  for  blasphemy,  because,  being  a  man,  Thou 
makest  Thyself  equal  with  God."  But  He  silenced  these 
learned  Teachers  of  the  law  by  reminding  them  that  in  their 
own  books  they  called  some  good  men  "  gods." 

"  If  you  call  men  '  gods,'  "  He  said,  "  to  whom  the  Spirit 
of  God  came  in  past  time,  why  do  you  say  to  Me,  whom  God 
hath  sent  into  the  world  and  kept  from  wickedness,  that  I 
blaspheme,  when  I  say  I  am  the  Son  of  God?"  The  Phari- 
sees could  not  answer  this  question,  and  stood  silent  while  He 
went  on,  "  If  I  do  not  the  works  of  God,  then  do  not  believe 
that  I  am  from  God ;  but  if  I  do  the  things  of  God,  although 
you  do  not  believe  what  I  say,  believe  what  I  do."  He  meant, 
that  if  He  did  the  will  of  God,  then  it  was  plain  that  God's 
Spirit  was  in  Him ;  and  He  told  them  why  He  wished  so 
earnestly  that  they  should  believe  Him,  in  these  words,  "  That 
you  may  know  and  understand  that  God's  Spirit  is  in  Me,  and 
that  I  am  in  God."  The  people  had  been  forced  to  listen 
thus  far,  but  when  they  heard  Jesus  say  that  He  was  in  God, 
they  would  listen  no  longer.  And  as  He  pressed  His  way 
through  the  crowd  in  the  porch,  towards  the  Golden  Gate 
that  led  out  of  the  Temple  into  the  city  street.  His  enemies 
sought  to  catch  hold  of  Him ;  but  His  friends  were  round 
about,  and  they  were  unable  to  take  Him.  Thus  the  Phari- 
sees' trick  was  exposed,  for  the  more  He  answered  them, 
showing  Ciat  He  was  the  Christ,  the  more  they  would  not 
believe  either  what  He  said  or  did. 

I  trust,  after  all  thou  hast  heard  of  Jesus,  that  thou  art  not 
one  of  those  who  would  mockingly  say,  "  Tell  us  more  plainly, 
art  thou  the  Christ?"  but  rather,  drawn  by  His  love,  thou 
art  one  of  the  Httle  children  who  know  His  voice,  and  who 
hear  and  follow  Him. 


DANGER    IN    JERUSALEM.  265 

DANGER    IN   JERUSALEM. 

PER/EA,    WINTER,   A.D.    ^2' 

What  Jesus  said  to  the  people  in  Solomon's  porch,  so  roused 
His  enemies  the  priests  and  Lawyers,  that  it  was  no  longer 
safe  for  Him  to  go  into  the  Temple  or  even  to  remain  near 
Jerusalem.  He  was  not  allowed  to  teach  in  the  churches  of 
Galilee  or  in  Judaea ;  He  had  been  turned  back  in  Samaria, 
and  now,  after  what  had  happened,  He  did  not  try  to  return 
to  Jerusalem,  but  bidding  farewell  to  His  friends  at  Bethany, 
He  went  with  His  disciples  once  more  down  the  Jericho  road, 
across  the  fords  of  Jordan,  and  into  the  Peraean  country,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Jordan.  In  that  part  of  the  land 
the  people  were  not  so  much  under  the  rule  of  the  priests, 
as  at  Jerusalem,  and  He  was  still  free  to  teach  in  the  villages 
and  even  in  their  churches.  He  was  going  to  the  village  of 
Bethabara,  on  the  banks  of  a  stream  that  ran  into  the  Jordan, 
where  John  the  Baptist  had  lived  and  taught ;  and  as  it  was 
mid-winter,  with  the  roads  rough  and  broken  with  streams  of 
water  that  dashed  across  them  down  from  the  hills,  it  took 
several  days  to  reach  the  village.  There  the  people  received 
Him  kindly,  and  He  lived  there  for  some  time,  teaching  in  safety. 

Jesus  was  now  thirty-three  years  of  age,  and  had  been  three 
years  a  Teacher,  and  the  people  of  Bethabara  remembered  how 
John  had  baptized  Him,  and,  how,  standing  in  his  strange  rough 
dress  and  hairy  belt,  he  had  told  them  that  he  was  not  good 
enough  to  loosen  the  buckle  of  Jesus'  shoe.  They  had  loved 
John,  and  believed  what  he  said,  and  remembered  with  anger 
how  he  had  been  killed  in  prison  by  King  Antipas,  and  were 
glad  that  Jesus,  of  whom  they  had  heard  so  much,  had  come 
to  live  with  them ;  and  they  came  in  crowds  to  hear  Him 
speak,  and  to  have  their  sick  healed,  and  as  they  compared 
John  and  Jesus,  and  thought  of  what  John  had  told  them  of 
Him,  they  exclaimed — 

"  John  did  no  wonders,  but  all  the  things  that  he  said  about 
this  Man  are  true  !  "  But  this  was  not  all.  Instead  of  shout 
ing  at  Jesus,  and  lifting  stones  against  Him,  the  people  listened 


266  A    MESSAGE    FROM    BETHANY. 

to  His  words,  and  many  of  them  believed  that  He  spoke  the 
truth.  And  from  Bethabara  He  went  to  other  parts  of  the 
Persea,  teaching  in  their  villages. 

But  one  day  a  man  came  from  Bethany,  with  a  sad  message 
from  Martha  and  Mary — 

''  He  whom  thou  lovest  is  ill,"  it  said.  They  knew  Jesus 
would  know  they  meant  Lazarus,  but  they  did  not  care  to  ask 
Him  to  come  back  into  danger  at  Jerusalem,  nor  did  they  even 
suggest  what  He  might  do.  It  had  taken  the  messenger  two 
days  to  come  from  Bethany,  and  on  the  day  he  arrived  Lazarus 
died  ;  but  Jesus  said  to  the  messenger — 

"  This  illness  is  not  unto  death,  but  for  the  praise  of  God, 
and  that  I  may  be  glorified  by  it."  And  the  messenger  re- 
turned to  Bethany  with  this  answer ;  but  although  Jesus  loved 
Lazarus,  He  remained  two  days  longer  in  the  same  place,  and 
on  the  third  day  He  said  to  His  disciples — 

"  Let  us  go  back  into  Judaea."  They  were  astonished  that 
He  should  wish  to  return  into  danger  so  soon. 

"  Master,"  they  exclaimed,  "  only  a  short  time  ago  the 
Judaeans  wished  to  stone  Thee,  and  wilt  Thou  go  back  to 
Jerusalem  again?"  Jesus  replied,  that  as  long  as  He  had 
work  to  do,  His  life  would  be  safe ;  and  while  they  were  pre- 
paring to  go.  He  explained — 

"  Our  friend  Lazarus  is  fallen  asleep,  but  I  am  going  that  I 
may  awake  him  out  of  sleep."  They  did  not  know  that  this 
was  His  gentle  way  of  telling  them  that  Lazarus  was  dead. 
Long  ago  He  had  said  that  the  ruler's  little  daughter  was 
"  asleep," .  A^hen  she  was  dead,  for  death  to  Him  was  as 
sleep.    But  the  disciples,  thinking  only  of  His  danger,  replied — 

"  Master,  if  Lazarus  hath  fallen  asleep,  he  will  get  well 
again."  For  they  thought  He  spoke  of  taking  rest  in  sleep, 
which  is  always  a  good  sign  of  a  sick  person. 

"  Lazarus  is  dead,"  He  replied  gently,  "  and  I  am  glad  for 
your  sakes  that  I  was  not  there,  that  you  may  believe  in  Me. 
Let  us  go  to  him."  The  disciples  hesitated,  but  Thomas,  the 
brave  fisherman,  urged  them  to  stand  by  Jesus  to  the  last,  in 
these  dogged  words — 


AT  THE  GRAVE  OF  LAZARUS.       267 

"  Let  us  all  go,  that  we  may  die  with  Him."  And,  believing 
that  the  council  in  Jerusalem  would  certainly  take  Him  and 
kill  Him  if  He  came  near  their  city,  these  twelve  men  resolved 
to  go  with  Jesus,  even  if  they  should  be  killed  also.  The 
same  Wintry  roads  were  traversed  again,  the  same  cold  rivers 
forded  and  dangers  faced,  that  Jesus  might  visit  the  little 
home  in  Bethany,  where  the  sisters  were  weeping. 

The  example  of  brave,  plain-spoken  Thomas,  put  courage 
into  the  others,  and  telleth  us  that  it  is  better  to  go  into 
danger,  following  the  path  of  duty  and  love,  than  to  win 
safety  by  deserting  a  friend;  for  true  friendship  does  not 
change  with  danger. 


AT  THE   GRAVE   OF   LAZARUS. 

BETHANY,   WINTER,  A.D.   ^;^. 

What  was  happening  in  the  little  vine-clad  cottage  at 
Bethany  while  Jesus  was  in  the  Peraea  ?  The  sisters  sent  off 
the  messenger  in  haste,  and  anxiously  watched  their  sick 
brother  Lazarus ;  but  instead  of  getting  better,  he  grew  worse 
and  died,  and  the  man  returned  with  this  message  from 
Jesus — 

"  This  illness  is  not  unto  death,  but  for  the  praise  of  God, 
that  Jesus  may  be  glorified  by  it."  What  could  it  mean? 
For  their  brother  was  already  dead.  Why  had  Jesus  not  done 
something?  Was  He  coming?  His  message  did  not  say  so, 
and  the  sisters  wept  again.  They  were  rich  people,  and  the 
news  of  the  death  of  Lazarus  was  soon  told  in  Jerusalem  ;  and 
their  friends  came  out  to  Bethany  to  the  funeral,  and  Lazarus 
was  laid  in  a  grave  in  their  beautiful  garden,  at  the  part  where 
the  roses  and  myrtle  grew.  Women  wept  and  mourned  in  the 
house,  sitting  on  the  floor  with  torn  clothes  and  dust  on  their 
heads,  and  doleful  flutes,  the  sign  of  death,  were  blown ;  and 
friends  came  to  sit  day  and  night  with  the  sisters  for  the  first 
seven  days  of  mourning.  Three  days  went  past,  spent  in 
sitting  upon  the  floor  wrapped  in  veils,  or  in  weeping  at  the 
stone  covered  door  of  the  grave  ;  while  the  sad  flutes  sounded 


268  IF    THOU    HADST    BEEN    HERE. 

and  the  mourning  women  wept  and  praised  their  dead  brother. 
At  first  their  hope  was  strong  in  Jesus,  but  now  it  seemed  as 
though  He  had  forgotten  them. 

On  the  fourth  day,  in  the  afternoon,  as  they  were  sitting  in 
the  cottage,  with  all  the  seats  and  couches  turned  upside 
down  and  the  door  wide  open,  weeping  still  with  their  friends 
round  them,  some  one  entered  quickly  and  whispered  to  the 
sisters  that  Jesus  had  come  and  was  close  to  the  village. 
Mary  paid  no  heed.  He  had  come  too  late  she  thought. 
But  Martha  rose,  and  telling  no  one,  went  out,  and  when  she 
met  Jesus  on  the  road,  with  a  fresh  outburst  of  weeping,  she 
exclaimed — 

*^  Lord  !  if  Thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother  would  not 
have  died.  Even  yet  I  know  that  whatever  Thou  dost  ask  of 
God,  He  will  give  Thee." 

"  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again,"  Jesus  said,  gently. 

"  I  know  he  will  rise  again,"  replied  Martha,  in  passionate 
grief,  "when  all  that  are  dead  rise  at  the  last  day."  She 
thought  He  was  trying  to  console  her,  but  He  replied  in 
words  the  full  weight  and  mystery  of  which  I  cannot  explain 
to  thee — 

"  I  am  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life ;  whoever  beheveth 
on  Me,  though  he  die,  yet  shall  he  live ;  and  whoever  liveth 
and  believeth  on  Me,  shall  never  die."  One  thing  He  did 
mean,  that  death  cannot  destroy  the  spirit  of  man,  nor  put 
an  end  to  that  Heaven, — that  union  with  God, — which  men 
get  by  beheving  in  Jesus.  And  looking  kindly  upon  the 
sorrowing /j^ce  of  Martha,  He  asked — 

"  Dost  thou  believe  Me  ?  "  For  she  seemed  in  her  grief  as 
though  she  no  longer  trusted  Jesus ;  but  she  answered  with 
a  confession  of  her  simple  woman's  faith,  which  was  still 
unchanged. 

"Yes,  Lord.  I  have  beHeved  that  Thou  art  the  Christ, 
the  Son'  of  God,  that  should  come  into  the  world  " — the  pro- 
mised Christ.  He  then  asked  for  Mary,  and  hearing  she  was 
at  home,  bade  Martha  go  for  her,  while  He  waited  there. 
Martha  found  her  still  sitting  on  the  floor. 


WHERE    HAVE    YOU    LAID    HIM  ?  269 

"  Mary,  the  Master  is  here,  and  calleth  thee,"  she  whispered. 
Then  Mary  rose  quickly  and  went  out  after  Martha ;  and  the 
friends,  thinking  that  she  was  again  overcome  with  grief,  and 
was  going  to  the  grave  to  weep,  followed  her,  weeping  and 
lamenting  through  the  village.  When  Mary  came  to  where 
Jesus  waited  with  His  disciples,  she  went  forward  and  knelt 
down  upon  the  road  before  Him,  and  the  first  words  which 
rose  to  her  lips  were  what  she  and  Martha  had  often  exclaimed 
in  their  grief — 

"  Lord,  if  Thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother  would  not  have 
died."  When  Jesus  heard  the  loud  weeping  and  wailing  of 
those  who  had  followed  Mary,  some  of  whom  were  paid  to  wail, 
He  was  indignant ;  but  when  He  looked  at  the  real  grief  of 
the  youthful  Mary  as  she  sobbed  and  wept,  with  her  hands 
over  her  face,  bowed  down  in  the  dust  of  the  road,  her  yellow 
hair  falling  in  loosened  tresses  over  her  mourning  dress,  and 
saw  the  tears  of  Martha,  who  stood  by.  He  was  deeply  moved, 
for  they  had  been  as  sisters  to  Him. 

"  Where  have  you  laid  him  ?  "  He  asked  gently. 

"Come,  Lord,  and  see,"  was  their  simple  answer.  And  as 
He  walked  towards  the  grave  between  the  weeping  sisters,  the 
people  saw  that  Jesus  also  wept.  Young,  strong,  fearless, 
shaken  with  sobs,  silently  weeping  on  the  open  road  !  No 
wonder  that  those  who  saw  it  said  with  hushed  voices — 

"  See  how  He  loved  him  !  "  And  yet,  among  the  Jews  who 
had  come  out  from  Jerusalem,  there  were  enemies  who  said — 

"  Could  not  this  Man,  who  gave  sight  to  the  blind  beggar, 
Iiave  kept  Lazarus  from  dying?  "  Thus,  in  their  desire  to  find 
f  lult,  admitting  that  Jesus  had  healed  the  blind  beggar.  But 
even  His  sorrow  did  not  shield  Him  from  their  hatred ;  and 
Jesus  sighed  with  grief  and  indignation  as  He  listened  to  their 
reproaches. 

When  they  reached  the  grave,  it  was  in  their  beautiful 
garden  of  rare  trees  and  flowers  by  the  side  of  the  hill,  in 
which  a  cave  was  cut  out  of  the  limestone  rock,  as  a  burying 
place ;  and  there  was  a  stone  laid  against  the  entrance  to  the 
cave. 


270  LAZARUS,  COME  FORTH. 

"  Take  away  the  stone,"  Jesus  said,  to  the  men  who  were 
standing  by.  Thinking  that  He  wished  to  see  Lazarus,  Martha 
remonstrated  hastily. 

"Lord,  by  this  time  he  is  not  fit  to  be  seen,"  she  exclaimed, 
"  for  he  hath  been  dead  four  days." 

"  Did  I  not  say  to  thee,"  Jesus  replied,  putting  her  aside 
gently,  "  that  if  thou  didst  beheve  thou  wouldst  see  the  glory 
of  God?  "  The  stone  was  then  taken  away,  but  Jesus  did  not 
go  into  the  open  cave  as  all  expected  He  would  do,  but  while 
they  stood  silently  watching,  He  looked  up  to  Heaven,  and 
praying,  said — 

"  Father,  I  thank  Thee  that  Thou  hast  heard  Me,  and  I 
know  that  Thou  hearest  Me  always  ;  but  because  of  the  people 
who  are  standing  here,  I  say  it,  that  they  may  believe  that 
Thou,  God,  didst  send  Me."  The  green  hillside,  the  motion- 
less trees,  the  trailing  flowers  hanging  over  the  dark  door  of 
the  open  cave,  the  pale  sisters,  the  silent  crowd — Jesus  wished 
to  impress  the  scene  upon  all  who  saw  it ;  then,  looking  towards 
the  cave.  He  cried  with  a  loud  voice — 

"  Lazarus,  come  forth  !  "  and  Lazarus  came ;  a  white  figure, 
wrapped  in  the  Hnen  clothes  of  the  dead. 

"  Loose  his  bandages  and  let  him  go,"  Jesus  said,  and  with 
hands  trembling  for  joy,  Martha  and  Mary  loosened  the  wrap- 
pings which  they  had  tied  in  tears  four  days  ago,  and  clasped 
their  living  brother  in  their  arms.  From  the  grave  they  re- 
turned to  the  little  cottage,  no  longer  now  the  place  of  mourning, 
while  the  people  looked  in  silent  wonder  at  Lazarus  and  Jesus. 

Now  the.  i  were  some  leading  men  of  Jerusalem  there  when 
this  happened,  and  they  were  so  impressed  that  they  no  longer 
doubted  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ.  But  there  were  others 
who  were  not  convinced  by  what  they  saw,  but  rather  made 
more  unbelieving,  and  they  went  back  to  the  city  and  told  the 
leaders  of  the  council  of  priests  that  Jesus  had  returned  to 
Bethany,  and  all  that  had  happened. 

If  ever  thou  thinkest  that  Jesus  does  not  feel  for  thy  Httle 
griefs,  think  of  Him  weeping  with  these  sisters  before  all  the 
people,  and  it  will  teach  thee  that  His  feelings  are  like  thy 


THE    COUNCIL    OF    PRIESTS.  2  J  I 

feelings,  and  that  His  Spirit  will  soothe  thy  sorrow,  if  thou 
tellest  thy  grief  to  Him. 


THE  COUNCIL   OF   PRIESTS. 

JERUSALEM,    WINTER,   A.D.    ^■^, 

When  the  news  about  Lazarus  became  known  in  Jerusalem, 
many  people  came  over  Olivet  to  Bethany  to  see  him,  and  went 
back  talking  about  Jesus,  and  many  of  the  common  people 
beUeved  that  He  was  the  Christ.  Hearing  of  this,  the  priests 
grew  uneasy,  and  Caiaphas,  the  High  priest,  called  together 
his  council  of  chief  priests,  rulers.  Lawyers,  Pharisees,  and 
Sadducees,  to  consider  what  should  be  done.  There  were 
about  seventy  men  in  this  council ;  twenty-four  were  called 
chief  priests,  because  they  were  heads  over  the  twenty-four 
courses  of  priests  who  took  week  about  to  serve  in  the  Temple, 
and  there  were  fourteen  other  leading  priests ;  the  rest  were 
leading  citizens  of  Jerusalem,  some  of  whom  were  friendly  to 
Jesus.  They  sat  in  rows  in  the  hall  of  hewn  stones,  in  the 
Priests'  court  of  the  Temple  :  the  proud,  wealthy  Sadducee, 
his  rich  robes  showing  him  to  be  of  the  very  highest  rank ;  the 
pale,  sanctimonious  Pharisee,  who  with  upturned  eyes  pre- 
tended to  despise  money  and  honour ;  the  grave,  thoughtful 
Lawyer,  who  felt  it  his  duty  to  remove  difficulties  from  the 
law,  and  to  make  more ;  the  priest,  with  his  dress  of  a  shape 
different  from  all  the  rest ;  and  in  the  middle,  the  president's 
chair,  on  which  sat  the  white-faced,  cruel  Caiaphas,  in  his 
dark  blue  robe,  bordered  with  purple,  gold,  and  scarlet — rich 
Sadducean  High  priest,  and  most  powerful  Jew  in  Jerusalem. 

They  had  met  to  decide  what  was  to  be  done  to  stop  at 
once  the  rapidly  growing  popularity  of  Jesus.  A  few  words 
explained  the  business.  Jesus,  the  young  Carpenter  of  Naza- 
reth, who  hurriedly  left  the  city  after  the  last  Festival  of 
Dedication,  had  returned,  and  had  performed  either  a  great 
trick  or  a  great  wonder  at  Bethany,  for  all  the  people  were 
saying  He  had  raised  Lazarus  to  life.     What  was  to  be  done  ? 


272  RESOLVE    TO    KILL    HIM. 

The  friends  of  Jesus  in  the  council  spoke  in  His  favour,  and 
His  enemies  spoke  against  Him  ;  but  all  seemed  to  agree  that 
it  could  no  longer  be  denied  that  He  was  a  wonderful  Person. 

"What  shall  we  do?  "  said  one.  "This  man  doeth  many 
wonders."  Some  were  for  leaving  Him  alone,  but  one  of  His 
enemies  said — 

"  If  we  let  Him  alone  as  we  are  doing,  everybody  will 
believe  He  is  the  Christ,  and  follow  Him,  and  the  Romans 
will  send  soldiers  and  put  an  end  to  both  our  city  and 
nation."  Evidently  this  councillor  believed  that  either  they 
must  put  Jesus  down  or  they  would  get  into  trouble  with  the 
Romans.  He  meant  that  Jesus  would  raise  the  people  to 
fight  against  their  Roman  conquerors,  as  false  Christs  had 
done  before,  and  that  they  would  send  an  army  to  destroy 
Jerusalem  and  take  away  all  their  liberties.  And  the  council 
thought  him  a  wise  speaker,  for  these  risings  of  the  people 
had  always  brought  severe  punishment.  Jesus,  however,  had 
never  spoken  of  doing  such  a  thing. 

Caiaphas  meanwhile  sat  silent  and  frowning  in  his  pres- 
ident's seat.  Not  only  was  he  a  great  Sadducee,  but  he  had 
been  made  High  priest  by  the  Roman  emperor,  Tiberias 
Caesar,  and  he  was  annoyed  that  the  council  should  find  so 
much  to  say  in  favour  of  Jesus.  It  was  his  duty  to  listen 
to  all,  before  he  spoke,  and  at  last  his  turn  came.  He  had 
heard,  with  suppressed  anger,  some  one  saying  that  Jesus 
had  done  nothing  to  deserve  death,  and  with  a  look  of  scorn, 
as  though  he  despised  the  whole  council,  and  thought  no 
more  of  de-'jiroying  Jesus  than  of  killing  one  of  the  animals  that 
were  daily  sacrificed  in  the  great  Temple,  he  exclaimed — 

"  You  know  nothing  !  Do  you  not  think  that  it  is  better 
for  us  that  one  man  should  die  for  the  people  than  that  our 
whole  nation  should  perish?"  The  president  had  spoken! 
reminding  them  of  a  common  proverb  of  the  people — "  better 
one  man  die,  than  a  nation  perish  ;  " — and  his  advice  became 
the  finding  of  the  majority  of  the  council.  Jesus  shall  die, 
and  die  for  the  people ;  but  these  words  of  Caiaphas,  which 
seemed  like  a  prophecy,  were  only  the  expression  of  a  mur- 


SABBATH-KEEPING.  273 

derous  purpose  which  he  afterwards  did  his  utmost  to  carry 
oat.  This  was  the  end  of  the  meeting,  and  the  people  were 
told  that  the  council  had  decided  that  Jesus  was  to  be  taken 
a  prisoner,  and  given  up  to  them.  And  Caiaphas  and  his 
friends  planned  how  they  should  have  Jesus  put  to  death  when 
they  got  Him,  for,  while  they  could  condemn  prisoners  to 
death,  the  Romans  had  taken  away  their  power  to  kill  them. 
The  friends  of  Jesus  told  Him  of  all  that  had  happened  in 
the  council,  but  He  was  not  alarmed.  While  Caiaphas  was 
delivering  his  bombastic  advice  to  kill  Him,  Jesus  knew  what 
that  advice  would  certainly  be,  but  His  time  had  not  yet  come 
to  die,  although  He  had  now  not  four  months  to  live.  But 
He  could  no  longer  go  about  openly,  because  of  the  Judseans, 
many  of  whom  would  have  gladly  tried  to  get  Him  taken  a 
prisoner,  in  obedience  to  the  wish  of  the  council,  who  would 
have  rewarded  any  one  who  did  so,  and  He  quietly  withdrew 
from  Bethany,  and  again  crossed  the  Jordan,  going  over  the 
Mountains  of  Gilead  to  Ephraim,  a  distant  hill  town  on  the 
far-off  borders  of  the  Peraea,  next  to  the  wilderness. 

Thou  wilt  learn  from  this  the  wickedness  of  using  a  high 
office  for  purposes  of  mahce  and  oppression ;  and  wilt  take 
care  never  to  use  thy  religion  as  a  cloak  for  saying  or  doing 
cruel  things  to  those  who  think  differently  from  thee ;  for  true 
goodness  is  never  cruel. 


SABBATH-KEEPING. 

PER/EA,  WINTER,  A.D.   33. 

In  the  Peraean  country,  Jesus  again  went  about  with  His  dis- 
ciples from  village  to  village  teaching,  although  it  was  still  the  wet 
Winter  season,  and  on  the  Sabbaths  He  taught  in  the  churches, 
and  the  country  people  came  in  crowds  to  hear  Him,  the  men 
sitting  together,  while  the  women  with  their  children  sat  by 
themselves  behind  a  stone  screen.  On  one  of  these  Sabbaths, 
as  He  was  speaking,  there  was  visible  behind  the  screen  the 
figure  of  a  poor  bent  woman,  and  stopping  teaching,  Jesus 


2  74  WOMAN,    THOU    ART    HEALED. 

asked  her  to  come  out  to  Him,  and  she  slowly  made  her  way 
towards  the  entrance  to  the  men's  part,  and  came  up  the 
church  to  where  Jesus  sat.  The  chief  men,  who  sat  at  the 
head  of  the  church,  were  shocked  that  He  should  thus  bring 
her  out  among  the  men ;  but  Jesus,  coming  down  from  the 
Teacher's  place,  met  her  as  she  came  forward,  and  putting 
both  of  His  hands  upon  her,  said — 

''  Woman,  thou  art  healed  from  thy  trouble."  And  to  the 
wonder  and  joy  of  the  people,  she  stood  upright  again,  and 
began  to  praise  God  for  healing  her,  and  all  the  people  praised 
the  good  deed.  Now  this  was  the  seventh  time  Jesus  had 
pubhcly  broken  the  Sabbath  rules  of  the  Pharisees,  and  the 
Ruler  of  the  church,  who  had  charge  of  the  service  on  the 
Sabbath,  was  angry  when  he  saw  what  Jesus  had  done.  Being 
a  strict  man,  he  thought  He  should  have  waited  until  Mon- 
day before  healing  this  poor  woman,  and  being  annoyed  with 
the  people  and  the  woman  for  praising  this  breach  of  the 
Pharisees'  rules,  he  exclaimed — 

"  Are  there  not  six  days  in  the  week  in  which  men  ought  to 
work?  You  should  come  on  them  to  be  healed,  and  not  on 
the  Sabbath."  But  Jesus  would  not  allow  such  bad  and  cruel 
words  to  pass,  for  they  were  false  teaching.  Turning  to  the 
Ruler,  and  to  those  who  sat  on  the  chief  seats  with  him.  He 
rebuked  them,  as  He  had  done  the  Pharisees  in  a  GaHlean 
church  less  than  two  years  before,  when  He  healed  a  man's 
withered  hand — 

"  You  hypocrites  !  "  He  said.  "  Do  you  not  on  the  Sabbath 
loose  your,  dx  or  ass  from  the  stable,  and  lead  him  away  to 
get  water?  And  shall  not  this  woman — a  daughter  of  Abra- 
ham— who  hath  been  bound  with  this  trouble  for  eighteen 
years,  be  loosed  from  it  on  the  Sabbath  day?"  The  Ruler  sat 
silent  on  his  crimson  cushion  facing  all  the  people,  and  could 
not  answer  Jesus,  for  this  good  woman  deserved  to  be  healed, 
and  the  people  rejoiced  when  they  saw  that  Jesus  prevailed. 
The  woman  went  back  to  her  place  behind  the  screen,  and 
Jesus  resumed  teaching,  telling  them  the  stories  which  He  had 
told  the  people  in  Galilee,  about  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  in  the 


AN    OX,    AN    ASS,    OR    A    MAN?  275 

world  being  like  the  little  Mustard-seed,  and  about  the  Leaven 
in  the  meal,  for  Jesus  now  began  to  repeat  to  the  people  of  the 
Persea  many  of  the  things  He  had  told  the  people  of  Galilee. 

In  another  Persean  village,  on  another  Sabbath  day,  after 
the  forenoon  service  in  the  church,  the  chief  Ruler  invited  Jesus 
to  a  mid-day  meal  of  bread  and  fruit  in  his  house,  but  it  was 
not  through  any  love  for  Jesus  that  he  asked  Him.  There 
were  Lawyers  and  Pharisees  among  the  guests,  and,  as  was 
common,  poor  people  came  into  the  open  court,  and  looked 
in  at  the  windows,  and  listened  and  watched  at  the  door. 
Among  these  was  a  man  who  had  dropsy,  and  when  the 
Pharisees  saw  him  they  watched  Jesus  closely  to  see  if  He 
would  do  anything  to  him  on  the  Sabbath.  The  dinner  had 
not  yet  begun.  The  man  had  evidently  followed  Jesus  in,  for 
he  moved  about  till  he  stood  right  before  Him,  and  Jesus 
knew  that  the  Pharisees  were  watching  Him. 

"  Is  it  right,"  He  asked,  looking  round  on  all  the  Teachers 
and  learned  men,  as  He  put  the  same  question  to  them  that 
He  had  put  to  the  Pharisees  in  Galilee — "  is  it  right  to  heal 
people  on  the  Sabbath  day,  or  is  it  wrong?  "  How  could  they 
say  "No,"  with  the  poor  suffering  man  standing  before  them? 
yet  they  dared  not  say  "  Yes,"  and  support  what  Jesus  taught ; 
and  so  they  kept  silent.  With  a  glance  of  anger,  and  without 
saying  one  word  more,  Jesus  walked  over  to  the  poor  man,  and 
putting  His  hand  upon  him,  healed  him,  and  told  him  to  go 
home.  Turning  to  the  Pharisees,  He  put  the  same  plain, 
almost  ridiculous  question  to  them  which  He  had  put  to  the 
Pharisees  in  other  places — 

"  Which  of  you,  whose  ox  or  ass  hath  fallen  into  a  well  on 
the  Sabbath  day,  will  not  at  once  pull  him  out  on  that  day?" 
Now,  strange  to  say,  these  very  men  taught  the  people  that 
one  might  help  a  suffering  ass,  but  not  heal  a  sick  man  on  the 
Sabbath.  Again  they  kept  silence  rather  than  answer,  for  the 
truth  would  have  helped  Jesus.  But  all  who  saw  them  thus 
silent,  knew  that  Jesus  was  right,  and  they  were  wrong.  And 
this  was  the  eighth  time  that  Jesus  publicly  broke  the  Sabbath 
rules  of  the  Pharisees. 


276  KINDNESS    AND    HUMILITY. 

Be  not  thou  like  these  Pharisees,  who  were  afraid  to  speak 
the  truth,  but  speak  it,  even  if  it  should  tell  against  thee  at 
the  time,  for  it  will  tell  for  thee  in  the  end ;  and  do  not 
forget  what  Jesus  taught — that  a  good  act,  a  good  thought, 
are  right  at  all  times,  whether  it  be  on  Saturday  or  on  the 
Sabbath. 


KINDNESS   AND   HUMILITY. 

PER.EA,   WINTER,   A.D.    33. 

When  all  was  ready  in  the  Ruler's  house  in  the  Peraean 
village,  the  guests  began  to  take  their  places  for  the  dinner. 
The  principal  table  was  low,  and  shaped  like  a  hollow  square, 
open  at  one  side  to  let  the  servants  go  out  and  in  to  the  middle 
by,  and  the  guests  lay  on  couches  all  round  the  other  sides, 
with  their  feet  pointing  towards  the  wall,  their  left  arms 
resting  on  the  table,  leaving  their  right  arms  free.  The  side 
of  the  table  at  which  the  master  of  the  house  lay  was  the  best 
side,  and  it  was  considered  a  thing  of  the  greatest  consequence 
in  that  country  that  the  man  of  the  most  importance  should  have 
the  highest  place,  and  that  the  man  of  next  importance  should 
be  next  to  him,  and  so  on  to  the  end  :  but  this  etiquette  of  the 
table  was  very  difficult  to  arrange  without  displeasing  some  one, 
for  among  the  Pharisees,  each  thought  he  deserved  a  high  place. 
When  the  guests  came  to  the  table,  Jesus  noticed  that  instead 
of  giving  way  to  each  other,  each  grave  Teacher  did  all  he  could 
to  secure  a  good  place  for  himself  and  get  above  the  others. 
Knowing  t^"»^t  it  made  no  real  difference  where  He  sat,  Jesus 
took  the  place  that  was  given  Him.  When  the  meal  of  bread, 
wine,  water,  figs,  raisins,  dates,  oranges,  and  other  Winter  fruits 
was  over,  the  time  for  speaking  came,  and  knowing  that  this 
scramble  for  places  was  only  a  sign  of  the  foolish  pride  of 
these  men,  Jesus  began  to  tell  them  what  He  thought  of  it, 
saying — '■ 

"  When  thou  art  asked  by  any  one  to  come  to  a  marriage 
supper,  do  not  go  to  the  highest  seat  at  the  table,  for  perhaps 
a  greater  man  than  thou  may  come,  and  he  that  invited  thee 


DINNERS    TO    THE    POOR.  277 

and  him  will  ask  thee  to  give  the  greater  man  thy  place,  and 
then,  feeling  ashamed  of  thyself,  thou  wilt  go  and  take  the 
lowest  place."  He  thus  told  them  how  very  foolish  their  pride 
looked  to  those  who  watched  them,  and  proceeded  to  tell 
what  they  ought  rather  to  do.  "  When  thou  art  asked  to  a 
great  supper,  go  and  sit  down  in  the  lowest  place,  and  when 
he  that  invited  thee  cometh  round  to  see  how  all  are  seated,  he 
will  tell  thee  to  go  up  higher,  and  then  thou  wilt  be  thought 
well  of  by  all  who  are  at  the  table."  It  was  the  host's  duty  to 
see  that  all  were  in  their  right  places  before  the  meal  began ; 
and  Jesus  told  them  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  in  these 
vigorous  words,  "  Every  man  who  putteth  himself  forward 
shall  be  brought  down,  and  he  that  is  of  lowly  mind  shall  be 
raised  up."  Now  these  Pharisees  were  no  believers  in  humil- 
ity; for,  however  meek  they  tried  to  appear,  they  were  full 
of  religious  pride,  thinking  themselves  better  and  holier  than 
other  people,  which  is  pride  of  the  very  worst  kind.  But 
there  were  other  men  there.  Rich  men,  proud  of  their 
money,  horses,  houses,  fine  clothes,  jewels ;  and  clever  men, 
conceited  about  their  titles,  learning,  speaking,  wisdom ;  and 
to  them  Jesus  spoke  also,  telling  them  that  in  all  things, 
humility  of  spirit  is  good,  and  pride  is  at  all  times  bad.  But 
they  did  not  believe  Him.  Noticing  that  all  at  the  table  were 
rich  people,  friends  and  relations  of  the  Ruler,  who  no  doubt 
thought  he  had  done  a  generous  thing  in  asking  this  young 
Stranger,  Jesus  spoke  particularly  to  him. 

*'  When  thou  givest  a  great  dinner  or  a  great  supper,"  He 
said,  "  do  not  ask  only  thy  brothers  and  relations,  thy  friends 
and  rich  neighbours,  lest  they  also  ask  thee  to  dine  with 
them,  and  so  pay  thee  back."  And  then  He  told  him  that  a 
rich  person  should  give,  not  dinners  to  the  rich,  but  dinners  to 
the  poor.  "When  thou  givest  a  dinner,"  Jesus  continued, 
"ask  poor  people  to  it, — the  hurt,  lame,  blind, — and  it  will 
make  thee  truly  happy,  for  they  have  nothing  to  pay  thee  back 
with,  but  thou  shalt  be  rewarded  in  Heaven."  This  seemed 
quite  shocking  to  these  fine  persons,  for  they  believed  that  to 
have  the  hands  of  such  poor  people  upon  their  table  would 


278  HIGHWAYS    AND    HEDGES. 

defile  it.  But  it  was  true  kindness  which  Jesus  taught,  to  feed 
those  who  had  no  food,  and  not  those  who  had  plenty.  Hear- 
ing Him  mention  Heaven,  one  of  the  guests,  perhaps  wishing 
to  change  the  subject,  exclaimed — 

"  Blessed  is  the  man  who  shall  eat  bread  in  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven  !  "  Now,  as  thou  knowest,  the  Pharisees  believed 
that  when  the  Christ  came  to  the  world,  His  great  Kingdom 
would  begin  with  a  banquet  to  His  friends,  and  they  longed 
to  be  at  it.  Jesus  did  not  answer  him  directly,  but  told  this 
short  story  with  a  meaning  as  He  rested  on  His  couch,  at  the 
Ruler's  table — 

A  rich  man  gave  a  great  supper,  and  invited  many  respect- 
able people,  and  when  all  was  ready,  he  sent  out  his  serv^ant 
to  tell  them  to  come  in,  but  they  all  began  to  make  excuses. 
The  first  said,  *  I  have  bought  a  field,  and  must  go  to  see  it, 
and  I  hope  he  will  excuse  me.'  The  next  said,  '  I  have 
bought  five  pairs  of  oxen,  and  I  must  go  and  try  them ;  I 
hope  he  will  excuse  me.'  And  another  said,  '  I  have  married 
a  wife,  and  therefore  I  cannot  come.'  But  none  of  these 
were  sufficient  reasons  for  staying  away.  And  when  the  ser- 
vant came  back  and  told  his  master  all  the  excuses  he  had 
received,  his  master  was  angry,  and  said  to  him,  '  Go  out  at 
once  into  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city,  and  bring  all  the 
hurt,  blind,  lame,  and  poor  people  thou  canst  find.'  And  the 
servant  did  as  he  was  told,  but  still  there  was  room  for  more  ; 
and  he  said  to  his  master,  '  I  have  done  what  thou  didst  tell 
me,  and  yet  there  is  room  for  more.'  And  his  master  said. 
Go  out  i  ito  the  country,  into  the  highways  and  hedges,  and 
make  the  people  come  in,  that  my  house  may  be  full,  for 
not  one  of  the  men  whom  I  first  asked,  shall  taste  of  my 
supper.'  And  the  servant  did  as  he  was  told,  and  the  poor 
came  gladly  to  the  supper  which  the  rich  had  rejected. 

Jesus  did  not  explain  the  meaning  of  this  story,  which  some 
of  the  guests  thought  was  only  a  pretty  tale,  but  this  is  its 
meaning.  He  spoke  of  the  true  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  which 
He  was  spreading  in  the  world.  He  was  the  servant  in  the 
story,  for  He  had  first  spoken  to  the  Jews,  Pharisees,  priests, 


REJOICING    ANGELS.  279 

about  Heaven ;  but  they  would  not  hear  Him,  and  then  He 
had  turned  to  the  poor  people,  who  heard  and  followed  Him. 
After  this  the  guests  rose  and  went  away,  Jesus  joining  His 
disciples,  who  were  waiting  for  Him  outside,  not  having  been 
invited  in. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  that  Jesus  does  not  wish  thee  to 
be  kind  only  to  those  who  can  be  kind  to  thee,  but  to  be  kind 
to  those  who  never  can  repay  thee — the  poor  hungry  boy,  the 
mother  and  her  starving  children,  the  blind,  the  lame.  If  thou 
art  ever  rich,  I  trust  thou  wilt  show  thy  friends  what  is  true 
kindness,  by  helping  those  who  need  help.  For  the  gratitude 
of  the  poor  is  one  of  the  few  blessings  which  money  can  obtain. 

REJOICING   ANGELS. 

PEIL^LA.,    WINTER,   A.D.    33. 

While  some  parts  of  the  Persea  bordering  upon  the  sandy 
desert  to  the  Eastward  were  wild  and  lonely,  other  parts  were 
not  so.  The  Peraean  country  is  about  the  size  of  the  county 
of  Cumberland,  and  a  range  of  high  hills  runs  down  the  middle 
of  it  parallel  with  the  Jordan,  with  grassy  glens  and  rocky  gorges, 
vine  terraces  and  olive  groves,  and  many  mountain  streams. 
Where  the  land  was  good  there  were  villages,  and  in  some 
places  large  well-built  towns,  Philadelphia,  Gerasa,  Bozra, 
Hesbon,  Ramoth-Gilead,  with  theatres,  temples,  and  fine 
buildings,  and  while  there  were  a  good  many  Jews  there,  most 
of  the  people  were  Arabs  and  Syrians,  who  did  not  worship 
the  God  of  the  Jews.  Wherever  Jesus  went,  He  continued 
to  be  well  received,  and  in  the  towns  and  villages  large 
crowds  came  to  hear  Him,  and  many  wished  to  become  His 
followers ;  but,  hke  the  people  of  Galilee,  they  expected  that 
if  they  followed  such  a  wonderful  One,  He  would  reward  them 
in  the  day  of  His  success  with  honours  and  money.  Jesus  saw 
that  the  people  of  the  Peraea  must  be  checked  and  put  right 
regarding  this,  as  He  had  done  the  Galileans  at  Capernaum ; 
and  turning  upon  them  one  day  as  they  crowded  round  Him, 
He  astonished  them  with  words  which  meant  this — 

If  any  of  you   follow  Me,  and  doth   not  love  goodness 


28o  TASTELESS    SALT. 

more  than  his  own  father,  mother,  wife,  brother,  sister — yes, 
more  than  his  own  hfe  itself,  he  cannot  be  a  true  follower. 
He  had  said  the  same  to  the  people  at  the  Lake  of  Gennesaret, 
and  He  went  on  to  discourage  still  further,  those  who  for 
wrong  reasons  followed  Him.  "  Whoever  is  not  willing,"  He 
continued,  "  to  bear  trouble,  and  come  with  Me,  cannot  be  a 
true  follower  of  Me."  He  had  stopped  His  thoughtless  and 
false  followers  at  Capernaum,  and  He  would  do  it  here  also, 
for  He  knew  that  many  of  those  around  Him  were  not  truly 
on  the  side  of  goodness  above  all  things,  and  He  warned  them 
in  two  stories  to  consider  well  what  they  were  doing. 

"Which  of  you,"  He  said,  "who  is  going  to  build  a  house, 
doth  not  first  count  up  what  it  will  cost,  and  see  whether  he 
have  enough  money  to  finish  it,  lest  after  he  hath  laid  the 
foundations  he  may  find  that  he  is  not  able  to  finish  it,  and  all 
who  see  it  will  laugh  at  him,  and  say,  *  He  began  to  build  a 
house  and  is  not  able  to  finish  it.'  "  They  were  thus  to  apply 
common  sense  to  the  question  of  whether  they  had  considered 
all  the  difficulties  of  following  Jesus  and  obeying  Him.  In  the 
second  story.  He  said — 

"  What  king,  before  going  out  to  fight,  doth  not  first  con- 
sider whether  with  ten  thousand  men  he  would  be  able  to  beat 
the  king  who  cometh  against  him  with  twenty  thousand  men ; 
and  if  he  cannot  do  so,  he  sendeth  messengers  to  the  other 
king  while  yet  he  is  a  long  way  off,  and  asketh  for  peace." 
They  were  thus  not  to  be  less  wise  in  measuring  the  dangers 
and  difficulties  of  being  like  Jesus,  than  kings  are  in  playing 
the  awful  game  of  war.  And  he  added  this  warning.  "  Who- 
ever he  may  be  among  you  that  is  not  ready  to  give  up  all  that 
he  hath  for  My  sake,  cannot  be  a  true  follower  of  Me.  Salt  is 
good,  but  if  it  have  lost  its  taste,  it  cannot  be  made  salt  again, 
and  is  good  neither  for  the  land  nor  for  the  rubbish  heap  ;  but 
is  only, fit  to  be  thrown  away." 

His  followers  were,  therefore,  to  test  themselves,  and  see 
whether  they  were  so  anxious  to  be  good  that  they  would  wil- 
Hngly  do  whatever  Jesus  might  tell  them.  No  doubt,  as  at 
Capernaum,  many  in  the  crowd  thought  that  He  would  never 


MEETING    WITH    BAD    PEOPLE.  28 1 

do  any  good  with  such  teaching,  and  would  turn  and  leave 
Him,  going  back  to  their  hoeing  in  the  fields,  their  vine-plant- 
ing, their  sheep-rearing,  thinking  how  much  better  they  were, 
poor,  and  in  a  cottage  of  their  own,  than  trying  to  follow  the 
teaching  of  Jesus,  with  no  prospect  of  tangible  rewards  before 
their  eyes ;  but  there  were  some  who  felt  that  what  He  had 
given  them  was  more  than  pearls  could  buy,  and  that  they 
would  never  turn  their  backs  upon  Him,  nor  cease  to  strive 
after  goodness  as  He  taught  it.  He  was  so  different  from 
their  own  Teachers.  He  spoke  to  the  poor  and  the  bad,  and 
went  into  their  houses,  and  ate  and  drank  with  them  ;  whereas 
the  Pharisee  Teachers  taught  only  the  well-to-do  and  the  re- 
spectable, those  who  went  to  church,  who  gave  money  to  the 
Temple,  who  acknowledged  all  their  teaching  to  be  right  in  the 
abstract,  who  gave  right  answers  to  their  questions,  and  only 
needed  looking  after  in  such  matters  as  hand- washing.  Sabbath- 
keeping,  fasting,  praying,  and  tithe-giving,  which  they  were 
apt  to  neglect.  But  the  outcasts  who  gathered  the  taxes,  who 
begged,  who  stole,  who  did  not  go  to  church,  who  worked  on 
the  Sabbath,  who  paid  no  attention  to  the  Httle  rules  of  the 
Pharisees — these  men  were  called  accursed,  lost  in  badness, 
and  they  would  not  speak  to  them ;  while  in  return  the  peo- 
ple hated  their  proud  sanctimonious  Teachers.  And  when  the 
Pharisees  saw  the  tax-gatherers  and  bad  persons  crowding  to 
Jesus,  and  He  going  with  them,  they  exclaimed,  just  as  the 
Pharisees  at  Capernaum  did  when  He  went  to  dine  in  the  tax- 
gatherer's  house — 

"  This  man  meeteth  bad  people,  and  eateth  with  them."  They 
could  not  get  near  Him  for  the  numbers  of  people  with  whom 
they  would  not  mix  lest  their  clothes  might  touch  them,  and 
they  be  defiled  ;  and  yet  Jesus  touched  them  and  ate  food  with 
them  !  But  He  answered  them  with  the  story  about  the  shep- 
herd and  the  sheep,  which  He  had  told  to  His  disciples  in 
Galilee  over  a  year  before,  and  which  meant,  that  if  the  Phar- 
isees thought  themselves  so  very  good,  there  was  no  use  in 
coming  to  Him,  for  He  only  cared  to  speak  to  those  who  felt 
that  they  were  bad  and  wished  to  be  good.     And  many  of  the 


282  THE    LOST    PIECE    OF    SILVER. 

men  who  listened  were  shepherds,  who  fed  their  sheep  upon 
the  hills  of  Gilead,  of  Pisgah,  and  of  Ammon,  or  in  the  wilder- 
ness down  by  the  Dead  Sea,  where  they  were  in  danger  from 
wild  animals  attacking  them. 

"  Which  of  you,"  He  said,  "  that  hath  an  hundred  sheep,  if 
he  should  lose  one  of  them,  would  not  leave  the  ninety-nine 
in  the  lonely  place  and  seek  for  the  lost  one  until  he  find  it? 
And  when  he  hath  found  it,  would  not  put  it  upon  his 
shoulders  and  carry  it  back  rejoicing?"  What  a  pretty 
picture?  The  shepherd  leaving  the  flock  crowded  together, 
guarded  by  his  fierce  yellow  dogs,  to  follow  the  footprints  and 
Usten  for  the  bleating  of  the  straying  one.  The  strong  man 
returning  with  the  young  sheep  on  his  shoulders,  climbing  up 
from  a  deep  tangled  gorge,  or  coming  cautiously  down  the 
rocky  hillside,  to  restore  the  wanderer  to  its  companions. 
*' And  when  he  getteth  his  flock  home,"  Jesus  continued,  "  he 
calleth  his  friends  and  neighbours  together,  and  telleth  them  to 
rejoice  with  him,  for  he  hath  found  the  sheep  which  was  lost." 
Then,  turning  to  those  Pharisees  who  were  standing  listening, 
"  I  tell  you,"  He  said,  "  there  is  more  joy  in  Heaven  over  one 
bad  person  that  becometh  good,  than  over  ninety-nine  good 
persons  who  do  not  need  to  change."  This  story  displeased 
the  Pharisees,  for  they  thought  in  their  pride  that  they  of 
course  were  the  good  people  who  did  not  need  to  change,  and 
that  the  common  people  were  the  bad  ones ;  and  they  were 
annoyed  to  hear  Him  say  that  one  of  these  despised  people 
would  enter  Heaven  with  more  joy  than  they,  and  they  turned 
away  in  aiiger ;  but  Jesus  went  on  to  tell  this  other  short  story 
about  a  lost  silver  coin — like  a  shilling — 

"  What  poor  woman  who  hath  only  ten  silver  coins,  if  she 
should  lose  one,  would  not  Hght  a  lamp,  and  sweep  the  house, 
and  search  carefully  until  she  find  it?"  Now  the  houses  of 
these  poor  people  had  only  one  room,  with  an  earthen  floor, 
and  no  windows,  and  only  lighted  by  the  door,  and  a  shilling 
was  a  large  sum  to  them.  "  And  when  the  woman  hath  found 
her  silver  coin,"  Jesus  continued,  "  she  will  ask  her  friends 
and  neighbours  in  to  rejoice  with  her  because  she  had  found 


THE    ERRING    BROTHER.  283 

the  money  which  was  lost."  Then,  looking  to  the  Pharisees, 
He  added,  "I  tell  you,  in  the  same  way,  there  is  joy  among 
the  angels  of  Heaven  over  one  bad  person  that  becometh 
good." 

And  thou  wilt  remember  that  pride  is  to  be  put  away  from 
thee  as  thou  wouldst  put  away  anything  that  would  destroy 
thine  eyesight ;  and  that  thou  shouldst  take  to  thee  lowliness 
and  modesty,  and  be  like  the  silver  star  that  is  content  to 
light  up  its  httle  corner  in  the  blue  sky,  though  no  eye  should 
ever  single  it  out  from  the  thousands  of  others  that  sparkle 
round  it. 

THE    ERRING   BROTHER. 

PER^A,    WINTER,    A.D.    33. 

Jesus  told  yet  another  story  to  the  people  in  the  Persean 
village  in  the  presence  of  the  Pharisees,  to  show  the  difference 
between  persons  who  have  been  bad  and  are  sorry  for  it,  and 
those  who  have  never  done  such  wicked  things.  It  was  about 
a  son  who  behaved  very  badly,  and  yet  who  was  forgiven  by 
his  kind  father.     And  this  is  the  story. 

A  rich  man  had  two  sons,  and  the  younger  of  them  came 
and  said,  "  My  father,  give  me  now  the  share  of  thy  money 
that  will  come  to  me."  Now  the  share  that  he  would  get 
when  his  father  died  would  be  one-third  of  all  that  his  father 
had,  his  elder  brother  getting  two-thirds. 

And  the  father  gave  him  his  share  of  all  that  he  had,  and  in 
a  few  days  the  younger  son  gathered  it  together  and  went  away 
into  a  distant  country,  and  there  he  spent  and  squandered  it 
among  bad  people  who  were  glad  to  help  him  to  spend  it. 
And  when  it  was  all  gone,  food  became  scarce  in  that  country, 
and  he  could  not  get  anything  to  eat  without  working  for  it.  His 
friends  left  him,  and  he  had  to  go  to  one  of  the  people  of  the 
place  and  offer  to  work,  and  he  sent  him  out  into  the  fields  to 
herd  swine.  Now  that  was  the  lowest  kind  of  work  that  a  Jew 
could  be  set  to,  for  they  hated  swine ;  and  what  he  was  paid 
for  his  work  was  not  enough  to  buy  food  for  himself.  Some 
days  he  was  so  hungry  that  he  would  like  to  have  eaten  the 


284  THE    SWINE    HERD. 

husky  pods  of  the  carob  tree,  which  the  swine  ate,  for  nobody 
gave  him  food,  and  often  he  thought  of  his  father's  rich  house 
and  well-fed  servants,  but  he  was  afraid  to  return  home,  after 
what  he  had  done.  So  he  followed  the  swine  over  these 
strange  fields  and  through  the  woods,  until  one  day  as  he  sat 
tired  and  starving,  with  his  swine  stick  in  his  hand,  he  came 
to  his  right  mind,  and  resolved  to  return  home,  saying  to 
himself — 

"  My  father's  paid  servants  have  plenty  of  food,  and  here 
am  I,  perishing  from  hunger  !  I  will  rise  and  go  to  my  father, 
and  say,  '  My  father,  I  have  done  wrong  against  Heaven  and 
thee,  and  do  not  any  more  deserve  to  be  called  thy  son ;  make 
me  one  of  thy  paid  servants.'  "  He  now  felt  how  foolish  and 
cruel  he  had  been,  and  was  sorry  for  his  badness,  and  he  gave 
up  herding  the  swine,  and  set  out  to  walk  wearily  back  to  his 
father's  country.  Now  in  some  parts  of  that  country  the 
ground  is  so  flat  and  the  air  so  clear,  that  a  friend  can  be  seen 
at  a  long  distance,  and  his  father,  who  had  been  watching  every 
day  for  his  son  to  come  back,  while  he  was  still  a  long  way  off, 
saw  him  returning  wearily  home,  and  knew  his  own  boy,  and 
ran  to  meet  him,  and  put  his  arms  about  his  neck  and  kissed 
him  much. 

"  My  father,"  said  the  son  humbly,  as  he  stood  before  him 
in  his  ragged  swine-herd's  clothes,  "I  have  done  wrong 
against  Heaven  and  thee,  and  do  not  any  more  deserve  to  be 
called  thy  son "  But  his  father  would  not  let  him  say  any- 
thing more,  but  seeing  his  sorrow  and  regret,  he  called  joyfully 
to  his  ser\  ints  at  the  house — 

"  Bring  out  the  best  cloak  quickly  and  put  it  on  him,  and 
put  a  ring  on  his  hand,  and  shoes  on  his  feet ;  and  bring  in  the 
fatted  calf  and  kill  it,  and  let  us  feast  and  make  merry  to-night, 
for  this  my  son  whom  I  thought  was  dead  is  alive  again,  and 
he  who  was  lost  is  found  ! "  His  joy  was  so  great  that  he 
would  not  let  his  son  finish  his  sorrowful  speech,  but  took  him 
into  the  house  to  have  him  bathed  and  stripped  of  his  rags 
and  properly  dressed,  and  ordered  a  feast,  and  called  in  his 
friends  to  rejoice  with  him  over  his  son's  return. 


FEASTING,    MUSIC    AND    DANCING.  285 

Now  the  elder  brother  was  out  working  in  the  distant 
fields  when  his  brother  returned,  and  when  he  came  home 
from  his  work  in  the  evening,  and  got  near  the  house,  he  heard 
the  sound  of  music  and  the  shouts  of  dancing  in  the  open 
court,  and  asked  a  servant  what  it  meant,  for  he  had  not  heard 
of  his  brother's  return. 

"  Thy  brother  hath  come  back,"  replied  the  servant,  "  and 
thy  father  hath  killed  the  fatted  calf,  because  he  hath  him  back 
safe  and  sound  again."  This  should  have  been  glad  news  to 
the  brother  who  had  stayed  at  home.  But  no  !  He  was  angry, 
and  would  not  go  into  the  house,  and  some  one  told  his  father 
that  his  elder  son  was  offended  and  would  not  come  in.  And 
the  father  came  out  and  begged  him  to  come  in  and  welcome 
back  his  erring  brother,  but  he  answered  gloomily — 

"  I  have  served  thee  for  many  years,  and  have  not  disobeyed 
thee,  and  thou  hast  never  given  me  even  a  young  goat  that  I 
might  feast  and  make  merry  with  my  friends ;  but  when  this 
thy  son  cometh  back,  after  spending  thy  money  in  bad  com- 
pany, thou  killest  for  him  a  fatted  calf !  "  This  was  only  a 
childish  excuse,  for  he  could  have  had  a  kid  at  any  time  if  he 
had  wished,  and  he  showed  his  dishke  to  his  brother  by  calling 
him  "thy  son,"  as  though  he  did  not  think  him  fit  to  be  his 
brother.  But  the  kind  father  was  as  gentle  with  the  one 
erring  son  as  with  the  other. 

"  My  son,"  he  replied,  "  thou  art  always  with  me,  and  all 
that  I  have  is  thine.  It  is  right  that  we  should  make  merry 
and  be  glad,  for  this  thy  brother  was  as  one  dead  and  is  alive 
again,  and  was  lost  and  is  found."  How  gently  the  father 
reminds  him  by  the  words  "  thy  brother  "  that  he  had  spoken 
unkindly. 

The  Pharisees  listened  for  more,  but  the  story  was  ended, 
and  they  were  left  to  wonder  what  it  meant,  and  whether 
it  was  pointed  at  them.  Who  was  the  erring  brother,  and 
who  was  the  sullen  one?  Surely  the  sanctimonious  brother 
was  the  Pharisees,  who  said  they  kept  all  the  commandments, 
and  were  too  good  to  eat  food  at  a  table  with  tax-gatherers 
and  common  people,  and  who  would  not  rejoice  when  bad 


286  THE    MONEY-GOD. 

people  became  sorry  for  their  faults.  Jesus  Himself  was  the 
kind  father,  who  wished  both  Pharisees  and  tax-gatherers  to 
meet  together  as  brothers. 

And  do  not  thou  forget  that  though  a  person  may  be  as 
foolish  and  bad  as  this  younger  son  in  the  story,  if  he  be  truly 
sorry  for  what  he  has  done,  and  asketh  to  be  forgiven,  God 
will  welcome  him  to  a  life  of  goodness,  for  He  loveth  us  all, 
both  bad  and  good. 

THE    MONEY-GOD. 

PER^^A,   WINTER,   A.D.    23' 

Two  things  the  Pharisees  loved — respectability  and  money. 
They  believed  that  rich  people  were  the  favourites  of  Heaven, 
and  sought  after  money  so  much,  and  took  such  bad  ways  to 
get  it,  that  Jesus  told  them  money  was  their  god,  and  the 
cause  of  wickedness.  Even  His  disciples  had  wrong  ideas  of 
the  use  of  money,  and  the  next  story  which  Jesus  told  as  He 
went  among  the  Peraean  villages,  was  about  the  dishonest 
sen>ant  and  money,  and  He  told  it  to  His  disciples  before  the 
Pharisees. 

"There  was  once  a  rich  man,"  He  said,  "who  had  fields, 
gardens,  and  houses,  and  he  had  a  chief  servant  to  whom  he 
gave  charge  of  everything  while  he  was  away — lands,  rents, 
crops,  wine,  oil, — with  power  to  take  less  from  those  who 
could  not  pay  their  whole  debts  ;  and  some  one  told  him  that 
this  servant  was  wasting  his  property.  And  the  rich  man 
called  the  servant  before  him,  and  said,  '  What  is  this  I  hear 
of  thee?  .Give  me  an  account  of  thy  management,  for  thou 
canst  no  longer  be  my  servant.'  "  He  was  thus  to  give  an 
account  of  all  he  had  done,  before  being  sent  away.  And  the 
servant  thought — 

"  'What  shall  I  do  when  my  master  hath  put  me  away?  I 
cannot  dig,  and  I  am  ashamed  to  beg.  I  know  what  I  will 
do  !  so  that  when  I  am  put  away  I  may  have  friends  who  will 
take  me  into  their  houses.'  "  And  he  resolved  to  give  presents 
of  his  master's  things  to  people,  and  so  make  friends  of  men 
as  bad  as  himself,  who  would  think  him  a  kind  man.     So  the 


CHEATING.  287 

servant  ordered  every  one  who  owed  his  master  anything  to 
come  and  see  him. 

"  'How  much  owest  thou  my  master?'  "  he  asked  the  first 
who  came.  Now  this  man  was  a  tenant  of  an  ohve-garden, 
who  paid  his  rent  in  oil,  and  he  answered — 

*' '  An  hundred  measures  of  oil.' 

"'Take  thy  paper,'  said  the  dishonest  servant  to  him, 
kindly,  '  and  sit  down  quickly,  and  write  fifty  instead  of  an 
hundred.'  "  And  the  tenant  who  was  as  dishonest  as  the 
servant,  did  as  he  was  told,  and  gave  him  the  paper  back  to 
show  to  his  master.  Thus  the  servant  made  one  friend ;  and 
turning  to  another — 

" ' And  how  much  owest  thou ? '"  he  asked  graciously. 
And  this  tenant,  who  grew  grain  on  his  land,  answered — 

"  '  An  hundred  measures  of  wheat.' 

"  *  Take  this  paper  and  pen,  and  write  eighty  instead  of  an 
hundred,'  "  the  servant  said.  And  the  man  did  as  he  was  told, 
and  handed  the  servant  back  the  paper.  And  the  servant  did 
the  same  with  all  who  owed  his  master  anything,  and  made 
quite  a  number  of  friends  by  giving  away  what  was  not  his 
own  to  give.  Having  arranged  all  his  papers,  he  then  made 
up  a  false  account,  and  gave  it  to  his  master ;  but  his  master 
knew  all  about  his  last  acts  of  dishonesty,  and  sent  him  away 
with  sharp  words  of  mock  praise  for  having  been  so  clever 
at  his  expense,  saying  that  men  like  him  thought  they  were 
wiser  and  cleverer  than  honest  men.  And  so  ended  the  story 
of  how  a  man  by  wicked  cleverness  thought  he  could  preserve 
his  respectability  in  the  world ;  but  that  kind  of  cleverness  is 
not  wisdom,  it  is  only  foolish  wickedness.  Then  speaking 
directly  to  the  Pharisees,  Jesus  upbraided  them,  telling  them 
that  they  were  trying  to  reconcile  badness  with  goodness, 
worship  of  money  with  worship  of  God,  in  words  which  made 
them  angry,  for  it  was  like  telling  them  to  imitate  the  dishonest 
servant  of  whom  they  all  had  disapproved. 

"  I  say  to  you,"  Jesus  said,  "  make  friends  to  yourselves 
by  means  of  the  money-god  of  wickedness,  so  that  when 
it  shall  fail  you,  these  friends  may  receive  you  into  their 


288  MONEY-WORSHIP. 

homes."  They  hated  to  hear  Him  speak  of  their  love  of 
money  in  this  way ;  but  He  continued,  "  Whoever  may  be 
trusted  in  a  very  Httle,  may  be  trusted  in  much ;  and  whoever 
is  bad  in  a  very  httle  will  be  bad  also  in  much.  If  you  have 
not  been  faithful  to  your  money-god,  who  will  trust  you  with 
true  riches  ?  And  if  you  have  not  been  faithful  in  the  things 
which  belong  to  another,  who  will  trust  you  with  that  which  is 
your  own?"  Thus  far  He  had  been  taunting  these  money- 
worshippers  with  their  own  folly,  pointing  out  the  stupidity  of 
their  belief  in  riches  as  a  sign  of  God's  favour ;  but  now  His 
tone  changed,  and  with  a  warning  voice  He  said — 

"  A  servant  cannot  obey  two  masters,  for  either  he  will  hate 
the  one  and  love  the  other,  or  keep  to  the  one  and  leave  the 
other.  Yoii  cannot  serve  both  God  and  money.^^'  They  were 
thus  left  to  choose  whether  they  would  love  God  or  love 
money,  for  they  could  not  do  both.  But  the  Pharisees  only 
shouted  mocking  and  impudent  things  to  Jesus,  for  they  be- 
lieved that  money  would  help  them  to  have  Heaven  ;  and  they 
would  not  change  for  anything  He  might  say.  To  their  scoffing 
He  replied  in  words  which  stung  them  back — 

*'  You  are  the  men,"  He  said,  "  who  make  people  think  you 
are  good,  but  God  knoweth  your  hearts,  for  badness  like  yours, 
though  it  is  thought  much  of  by  men,  is  hateful  to  God. 
Before  John  came,  men  had  the  Bible ;  but  since  then  I  have 
spoken  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  in  the  world,  and  men 
think  they  can  press  into  it.  But  it  is  easier  for  sky  and 
earth  to  pass  away,  than  for  any  part  of  God's  law  to  fail." 
And  in  a  i^w  more  words  He  told  these  Pharisees,  who  pre- 
tended to  be  perfect  keepers  of  God's  law,  that  they  broke  it 
when  it  suited  themselves,  putting  away  their  wife  and  taking 
another  on  very  slight  excuses,  and  that  this  was  shameful 
and  wicked  conduct.  And  He  went  on  to  speak  of  the  rights 
of  women  in  a  way  which  had  never  been  heard  of  before, 
and  which  with  what  He  said  about  a  month  afterwards,  made 
Jesus  the  special  friend  of  the  women  of  the  country. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  that  badness,  however  secret 
and  successful  it  may  be,  is  only  cheating  and  folly,  although 


THE  RICH  MAN  AND  THE  BEGGAR.     289 

it  may  pass  for  cleverness  ;  and  choose  early,  betwixt  loving 
money  and  loving  true  goodness,  for  thou  canst  not  love  them 
both. 


THE   RICH    MAN   AND   THE   BEGGAR. 

per.^:a,  winter,  a.d.  33. 

Jesus  had  warned  the  Pharisees  of  the  Peraea  against  their 
love  of  money,  and  their  belief  that  it  would  help  them  to  be 
good  and  have  Heaven,  and  they  had  only  laughed  at  Him ; 
but  now  He  told  them  a  story  of  a  rich  man  and  a  beggar,  and 
of  how  the  beggar  entered  Heaven  after  death,  but  the  rich 
man  did  not.  This  was  to  show  that  wealth  makes  some 
people  bad  rather  than  good.  Heaven  He  pictured  in  the  story 
as  a  place  of  joy  and  beauty,  the  house  of  God,  and  Hades  as 
a  place  of  sorrow  and  gloom  ;  and  this  is  what  He  said — 

There  was  once  a  rich  man  who  dressed  himself  in  purple 
cloth  and  fine  linen,  and  lived  surrounded  with  splendour,  and 
ate  the  choicest  food.  Now  purple  cloth  and  white  linen  was  the 
dress  of  princes,  and  he  spent  his  days  in  looking  after  his  own 
comforts.  And  a  poor  beggar,  called  Lazarus,  was  often 
carried  to  the  gate  of  this  rich  man's  house  and  laid  there  ;  and 
he  was  ill  with  sores  on  his  body,  and  begged  that  he  might 
get  the  crumbs  which  fell  from  the  rich  man's  table ;  and  the 
street  dogs  used  to  come  and  Hck  his  sore  places.  The  rich 
man  saw  him  lying  helplessly  there  in  the  sunshine,  as  he  rode 
out  and  in  by  the  gate  of  his  fine  gardens,  and  he  was  not  kind 
to  him,  and  did  not  think  of  his  misery.  But  the  street 
dogs,  poor  harmless  brutes,  were  the  poor  man's  friends,  and 
he  used  to  stroke  them  with  his  feeble  hand,  and  give  them 
a  few  of  his  crumbs  to  eat.  And  so  the  days  went  past  in 
feasting  and  pleasure  to  the  rich  man,  and  weariness  and 
pain  to  the  beggar. 

But  at  length  the  beggar  died,  and  his  spirit  entered 
Heaven ;  and  perhaps  the  rich  man  missed  him  from  the 
gate  one  morning,  but  he  soon  forgot  all  about  him.  Time 
passed  on,  and  the  rich  man  also  died.     All  that  money  could 


290  HEAVEN,    AND    HADES. 

do  was  done  for  him.  Paid  mourners  gave  him  a  splendid 
funeral  and  made  speeches  at  his  grave,  praising  him ;  while 
others  wept  and  mourned  and  played  waihng  music  upon 
flutes  and  beat  melancholy  drums ;  and  others  turned  the 
seats  and  tables  in  the  house  upside  down  and  tore  their 
clothes  and  hair,  and  put  dust  on  their  heads,  in  imitation  of 
sorrow,  for  about  a  month  ;  and  then  there  were  rejoicings  in 
honour  of  his  brother  the  heir. 

But  his  spirit  did  not  enter  Heaven.  In  Hades  he  lifted 
up  his  eyes  in  pain,  and  saw  Abraham  far  away  in  Heaven, 
and  the  beggar  Lazarus  with  him.  Now  Hades  is  the  place 
to  which  men's  spirits  go  that  do  not  enter  Heaven  after 
death ;  and  the  rich  man  who  had  not  been  the  beggar's 
friend  on  earth,  wished  to  claim  friendship  now. 

"  Father  Abraham  ! "  he  cried,  "  have  mercy  on  me,  and 
send  Lazarus  that  he  may  dip  the  tip  of  his  finger  in  water 
and  cool  my  tongue,  for  I  am  in  great  pain  in  this  fire." 

"  My  son,"  Abraham  replied,  "  remember  that  thou  hadst 
riches  during  thy  life,  and  that  Lazarus  had  poverty ;  but  now 
he  is  comforted  and  thou  art  tormented.  Also  between  us 
and  thee  there  is  a  great  deep  space,  so  that  they  who  wish  to 
pass  hence  to  thee  are  not  able,  nor  can  any  one  come  from 
thee  to  us."  Loving  spirits  would  have  come  down  even  from 
their  beautiful  Heaven,  to  sooth  these  spirits  in  Hades,  but 
they  could  not,  for  it  was  impossible ;  and  while  these  in 
Hades  could  see  those  pure  spirits  in  Heaven,  they  could  not 
go  near  them.  But  the  selfishness  of  the  rich  man  became 
changed.  He  thought  of  his  brothers  who  were  living,  as  he 
had  done;  in  the  world,  and  he  cried  again  to  Abraham — 

"  Father,"  he  said,  "  I  beg  thee  to  send  Lazarus  to  my 
father's  house  on  earth,  for  I  have  five  brothers,  that  he  may 
warn  them,  lest  they  also  come  to  this  place  of  pain."  He 
was  sorry  for  his  selfish  hfe,  and  wished  his  brothers  to 
change-  and  become  good  while  they  lived.  But  Abraham 
answered — 

"  They  have  the  words  of  Moses  and  the  good  men  in  the 
Bible  ;  let  them  read  them."     But  the  rich  man  remembered 


ONE    OF    THESE    LITTLE    ONES.  29 1 

what  little  thought  he  had  ever  given  to  all  the  wise  and  good 
things  in  the  Bible. 

**  Nay,  Father  Abraham,"  he  pleaded,  "  but  if  a  spirit  from 
the  dead  were  to  go  to  my  brothers,  they  would  change." 

"If  they  pay  no  heed  to  Moses  and  the  prophets,"  re- 
plied Abraham,  "  they  would  not  be  persuaded  to  change, 
even  if  a  spirit  were  to  go  to  them  from  the  dead."  His  words 
quenched  the  little  flame  of  hope  that  had  flickered  over  the 
head  of  the  rich  man,  and  as  he  sank  back  among  the  com- 
panion spirits  of  Hades,  he  thought  with  horror  of  the  careless 
lives  which  his  brothers  were  living  in  the  world,  under  the  vain 
behef  that  they  were  making  merry  and  enjoying  life.  This  was 
only  a  story  with  a  meaning,  a  sort  of  vision,  but  it  is  one  of 
the  most  startling  of  the  stories  of  Jesus,  in  which  He  opens 
the  golden  gates  of  Heaven  and  the  leaden  doors  of  Hades,  as 
a  warning  to  men  to  be  good.  Told  in  the  presence  of  the  rich 
and  the  poor,  it  must  have  had  a  strange  effect,  for  He  let 
them  know  that  to  be  rich  did  not  mean  to  be  good ;  nor 
being  poor,  to  be  bad ;  but  that  the  opposite  was  oftener  the 
case.  And  that  after  death  men  will  be  in  joy  or  in  pain 
according  as  they  have  lived  good  or  bad  lives  here. 

Therefore,  be  thou  kind  to  the  poor,  and  if  thou  canst  not 
give  them  food,  clothing,  or  money,  give  them  gentle  words ; 
and  may  it  never  be  said  of  thee  that  thou  didst  add  one  grain 
of  misery  to  the  heavy  burdens  which  the  poor  have  to  bear. 

Little  deeds  of  kindness, 

Little  acts  of  love, 
Make  the  world  around  us 

Like  the  Heaven  above. 


ONE   OF   THESE   LITTLE   ONES. 

T^RJEA,   WINTER,  A.D.   33. 

After  telling  the  story  of  the  rich  man  and  the  beggar  to 
the  Pharisees  who  trusted  in  riches,  Jesus  ceased  speaking  in 
the  open  air  and  went  into  a  house  with  His  disciples.  In 
private  with  them,  perhaps  sitting  in  the  evening  in  a  quiet 


292  IF   THY    BROTHER    HURT   THEE. 

room,  with  the  stars  sparkUng  in  the  sky  and  the  sharp  crescent 
of  the  moon  seen  through  the  open  door,  He  explained  some 
of  the  things  which  He  had  said,  with  fuller  confidence  than 
He  could  have  used  before  the  Pharisees.  He  warned  His  dis- 
ciples that  they  would  be  tempted  by  bad  people  to  do  wrong. 

"It  is  not  possible,"  He  said,  "but  that  temptations  to  do 
wrong  shall  come  to  you,  but  woe  !  to  him  through  whom 
they  come ;  "  repeating,  as  He  pointed  to  the  little  children 
on  the  floor,  the  same  words  of  caution  which  He  gave  them 
before  in  Peter's  house.  "  It  were  better  for  a  man  that  a  mill 
stone  were  tied  round  his  neck,  and  he  thrown  into  the  sea, 
than  that  he  should  cause  one  of  these  little  ones  to  do  wrong." 
He  also  repeated  to  them  the  warning  to  forgive  each  other, 
which  he  gave  them  on  the  same  occasion  after  their  quarrel 
on  the  road  to  Capernaum — 

"  Take  care  what  thou  doest.  If  thy  brother  hurt  thee,  tell 
him  what  he  hath  done,  and  if  he  is  sorry  for  it  forgive  him. 
And  if  he  hurt  thee  seven  times  a  day,  and  seven  times  turn 
again  to  thee  and  say  that  he  is  sorry,  thou  shalt  forgive  him." 
He  meant  that  they  were  always  to  be  willing  to  forgive  an 
injury.  Talking  among  themselves  over  this,  the  disciples  felt 
that  they  needed  help  if  they  were  to  live  the  good  Hfe  which 
Jesus  continually  set  before  them,  and  not  to  be  tempted  from 
goodness,  and  like  children  they  exclaimed — 

"  Master,  give  us  more  faith  !  "  To  which  He  rephed,  using 
a  figure  of  speech  that  He  had  often  used  before  about  remov- 
ing mount'^ins — 

"  If  you  had  faith,  even  as  small  as  a  mustard  seed,  you 
could  tell  this  sycamore  tree,"  pointing  as  He  spoke  to  a  large 
green  tree  which  grew  near  them,  "  to  be  rooted  up  and 
planted  in  the  sea,  and  it  would  obey  you."  He  did  not  mean 
that  they  could  cause  trees  to  leap  into  the  sea,  but  only  that 
they  woald  be  able  to  do  great  things  if  they  trusted  in  good- 
ness. Lest  they  might  think  that  they  deserved  much  praise 
for  being  His  disciples,  He  told  them  this  story  about  not 
expecting  praise  for  doing  what  is  right,  and  what  they  ought 
to  do,  saying — 


HEAVEN    IS    WITHIN    YOU.  293 

"  Which  of  you  that  hath  a  servant  ploughing  or  watching 
sheep  in  the  field,  would  tell  him  when  he  cometh  in  from  his 
work  to  sit  down  at  the  table  and  eat.  Wouldst  thou  not 
rather  tell  him  to  make  ready  food  that  thou  mightest  eat,  and 
prepare  himself  and  wait  upon  thee  till  thou  wast  done,  and 
after  that  to  eat  and  drink  himself?" — meaning,  that  though 
this  might  seem  hard,  still  it  was  only  the  servant's  duty  to  do 
so ;  adding  this  question :  "  Would  the  master  thank  his 
servant  because  he  did  what  he  was  told  to  do?  "  And  on  the 
disciples  answering  "  No,"  He  went  on  to  tell  them  that  they 
must  be  like  good  servants,  doing  what  is  right,  because  they 
love  right  and  hate  wrong,  and  not  doing  it  for  praise  and 
thanks. 

"  And  so  you,"  He  continued,  "  even  after  you  have  done 
all  that  I  have  told  you  to  do,  may  say,  'We  are  unprofitable 
servants,  who  have  done  no  more  than  it  was  our  duty  to 
do.' "  And  yet,  while  the  disciples  were  not  to  feel  proud 
in  having  done  their  duty,  there  is  no  doubt  that  their  duty, 
humbly  done,  was  the  best  service  which  they  could  render 
Jesus. 

And  thou,  too,  must  do  thy  httle  duties  to  the  best  of  thy 
strength,  and  in  thy  sweet  child's  struggle  to  do  right  and  keep 
from  wrong,  Jesus  will  help  thee.  But  what  is  thy  duty?  Hurt 
no  living  thing,  spoil  no  beautiful  thing,  say  no  unkind  thing ; 
forgive,  be  kind,  be  loving,  be  truthful,  be  joyful,  and  do  not 
//link  thyself  very  good,  du/  be  good, 

HEAVEN    IS   WITHIN   YOU. 

per.^:a,  spring,  a.d.  34. 

We  are  coming  to  the  last  weeks  of  Jesus'  life.  I  have 
hitherto  tried  to  explain  all  His  sayings,  but  in  these  latter 
weeks  He  spoke  much  of  future  things,  in  language  which  I 
cannot  understand  and  shall  not  guess  at ;  but  I  shall  give  as 
plainly  as  I  can  His  sayings  as  they  have  come  down  to  us  from 
those  who  heard  Him  speak.  It  is  not  of  much  moment,  nor 
can  it  be  expected,  that  we  should  understand  all  that  Jesus 


294  SPREADING   HIS    KINGDOM. 

said,  particularly  about  the  end  of  the  world,  and  His  coming 
again.  If  it  were  so.  He  would  have  made  His  meaning 
plainer ;  but  yet,  while  not  attaching  too  definite  meanings  to 
things  which  are  like  visions,  and  have  no  close  relation  to 
us,  it  is  right  that  thou  shouldst  know  about  them. 

He  had  now  been  teaching  in  the  Persean  village  for  over  two 
months,  and  was  about  to  begin  His  last,  slow,  memorable 
journey  back  to  the  fords  of  Jordan,  and  up  by  Jericho  to  Jeru- 
salem, which  He  would  enter  at  the  approaching  Passover  Festi- 
val amid  great  rejoicing — a  journey  marked  by  gentle  teaching, 
loving  incidents,  and  stories  by  the  way.  The  curiosity  of  the 
Pharisees  increased  every  day,  for  Jesus  had  said  that  His 
Kingdom  would  be  declared  at  Jerusalem;  and  one  day  a 
little  group  of  them  came  to  ask  Him  yet  one  more  question. 
They  wished  to  know  what  would  be  the  sign  of  the  coming 
of  His  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  for  they  believed  it  would  be 
accompanied  by  many  wonders,  if  He  were  the  true  Christ. 
But  they  could  not  understand  His  answer.  It  was  too  deep  ; 
and  went  against  all  their  ideas. 

"The  Kingdom  of  Heaven,"  Jesus  answered  them,  "  cometh 
not  with  looking  for  it,  neither  shall  men  say.  Look  here  !  or 
Look  there  !  for  Heaven  is  within  you^  He  meant  that  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven  was  not  a  thing  outside  of  them,  which 
they  could  see,  as  the  Pharisees  thought,  but  that  it  was  a 
state  of  the  mind  and  spirit,  a  change  from  bad  to  good,  which 
would  be  felt,  but  could  not  be  seen,  for  it  was  within  them. 
Through ■•  tlim  their  spirits  would  learn  to  know  God,  and 
become  obedient  to  Him — which  is  Heaven.  And  so  His 
Kingdom  would  spread  among  the  people  and  over  the  world, 
as  men,  women,  and  httle  children  entered  it,  and  became  His 
subjects.  A  very  different  kind  of  Kingdom  from  what  the 
Pharisees  looked  for,  of  cities,  riches,  and  power,  who  thought 
that  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  in  the  world  would  be  estab- 
lished by  a  king  with  armies,  not  by  going  about  healing  and 
teaching  the  common  people.  When  they  went  away,  Jesus 
spoke  gravely  to  His  disciples,  teUing  them  that  He  would  be 
killed  at  Jerusalem,  whither  they  were  going,  but   that   He 


STRANGE    SAYINGS.  295 

would  rise  from  the  grave,  and  go  to  His  Father  in  Heaven, 
and  would  come  again.  But  His  words  are  so  strange  and 
mysterious,  that  even  after  all  that  has  happened  since  then, 
it  is  impossible  to  tell  clearly  what  He  meant.  He  said  that 
after  He  was  dead,  men  would  come  time  after  time,  saying 
that  they  were  the  Christ,  but  that  people  were  not  to  be 
deceived  by  them. 

"The  time  will  come,"  He  said,  "when  you  shall  wish  to 
see  one  of  My  days  and  shall  not  see  it.  They  shall  say  to 
you.  Look  here  !  and  Look  there  !  but  go  not  away  to  follow 
after  them.  For  like  the  lightning  which  flasheth  out  of  one 
part  of  the  sky  and  shineth  unto  the  other,  so  shall  my  coming 
be.  But  first  I  must  suffer  many  things,  and  be  rejected  by 
the  men  of  this  time  " — meaning  that  He  would  be  killed  at 
Jerusalem,  for  He  knew  that  if  He  continued  His  great  work 
of  teaching,  the  priests  would  have  Him  put  to  death  for  it. 

He  spoke  also  of  what  would  happen  when  He  should  come  ^ 
again.  That  there  would  be  many  bad  and  few  good  men,  as 
in  the  time  written  of  in  the  beginning  of  the  Bible,  where  it 
says  a  flood  came  upon  the  world,  and  only  Noah  and  his 
family  were  saved  in  a  great  boat  called  the  Ark ;  and  like  the 
time  also  mentioned  there,  when  two  wicked  cities  were  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  saying — 

"  As  it  was  in  the  time  of  Noah,  so  shall  it  be  in  My  day. 
Men  ate,  drank,  and  married,  until  the  day  that  Noah  went 
into  the  ark,  and  then  the  waters  came  and  drowned  all 
the  people.  And  as  it  was  in  the  time  of  Lot,  men  ate, 
drank,  bought,  sold,  planted,  and  builded,  until  the  day  that 
he  went  out  of  Sodom,  when  it  rained  fire  and  brimstone  from 
the  skies,  and  destroyed  all  who  remained ;  so  shall  it  be  in 
the  day  when  I  shall  be  made  known.  In  that  day,  whoever 
shall  be  on  the  house-top,  let  him  not  go  inside  to  take  things 
out  of  his  house ;  and  whoever  is  in  the  field,  let  him  not 
return  home,  but  flee.  Remember  Lot's  wife  !  Whoever 
shall  seek  to  save  his  life,  shall  lose  it ;  but  whoever  shall 
lose  his  Hfe,  shall  save  it."  The  story  about  Lot's  wife  is, 
that   as   they   were   flying   away   from   Sodom,    she    looked 


296  THE    DOOR    OF    HEAVEN. 

back,  wishing  to  return,  and  became  a  pillar  of  salt.  Jesus 
told  them  then  how  people  would  be  separated;  continuing, 
"  In  that  night  there  shall  be  two  men  in  one  bed,  and  the  one 
shall  be  taken  and  the  other  left.  Two  women  shall  be  grind- 
ing at  the  mill  stones  together,  and  the  one  shall  be  taken  and 
the  other  left.  Two  men  shall  be  in  the  field  together,  and 
the  one  shall  be  taken  and  the  other  left."  The  disciples 
were  listening  with  breathless  interest  to  these  strange  sayings, 
and  when  they  heard  Him  speak  of  people  being  taken  away 
to  meet  Him,  they  exclaimed — 

"Where,  Master?"  But  He  did  not  tell  them,  only 
answering — 

"Where  the  body  is,  thither  will  the  eagles  be  gathered 
together."  Referring  to  the  great  birds  called  vultures  that  in 
that  country  come  flying  in  crowds  to  the  bodies  of  animals 
that  have  died  in  lonely  places. 

The  lesson  for  thee,  my  child,  in  these  strange  sayings,  is  to 
be  watchful  not  to  attach  exclusive  importance  to  a  few  words 
or  even  lines  of  the  Bible,  but  ever  to  beheve  and  trust  the 
whole  broad  spirit  of  that  Book.  When  thou  art  older,  men 
may  tell  thee  that  these  strange  words  of  Jesus  are  foolishness ; 
but  wise  people  think  very  reverently  of  every  word  which 
Jesus  spoke.  If  they  cannot  understand  them,  they  may  put 
them  on  one  side  ;  for  thou  wilt  remember  that  it  is  not  neces- 
sary that  thou  shouldst  understand  all  that  is  written  of  Him, 
but  it  is  we^\  for  thee  to  know  every  word. 

THE  DOOR   OF   HEAVEN. 

PER.EA,   SPRING,  A.D.   34. 

Another  Winter  had  gone,  and  Spring  returned,  with  green 
grass  and  young  wheat  springing  in  the  fields,  and  birds 
singing  as  they  built  their  nests  in  the  forks  of  the  trees  amid 
bursting  buds  and  soft  green  leaves.  The  gardens  were  sweet 
with  the  scent  of  blooming  fruit  trees,  the  fields  again  beautiful 
with  wild  flowers,  but  Jesus  would  not  see  the  coming  Summer, 
for  in  about  six  weeks'  time  He  would  be  killed.     As  He  went 


GODS    HOME.  297 

slowly  through  the  green  paths  of  the  Peraea,  walking  towards 
the  Jordan  river,  He  told  those  who  followed  Him  of  the 
difficulties  that  were  before  them  all,  but  that  they  would  have 
Heaven ;  and  as  they  talked  over  His  words,  some  thought 
that  very  few  people  would  have  Heaven,  while  others  thought 
that  many  would  do  so,  and  one  day  they  asked  Jesus  this 
question — 

"Master!  do  only  a  few  enter  Heaven?"  He  did  not 
answer  "  Yes,"  or  "  No  "  ;  but  told  them  to  be  careful  more 
about  having  Heaven  themselves  than  curious  to  know  how 
many  others  would  do  so,  adding,  that  Heaven  was  like  a 
beautiful  house  with  a  narrow  door. 

"  Strive,"  He  said  to  the  people,  "  Strive  to  go  in  by  this 
narrow  door,  for  many  shall  try  to  enter  in,  but  shall  not  be 
able."  He  then  told  them  that  He  was  at  the  door  to  open  it, 
and  that  they  should  listen  to  Him  before  it  became  too  late. 

"  When  I,"  He  said,  the  Master  of  the  House  of  Heaven, 
shall  rise  and  shut  the  door,  and  you  shall  begin  to  stand  out- 
side and  knock,  and  say,  *  Lord  !  open  to  us.'  Then  I  shall 
answer,  *  I  do  not  know  you,  nor  whence  you  are.'  And  you 
shall  begin  to  say,  *  We  ate  and  drank  with  Thee,  and  Thou 
didst  teach  in  our  streets.'  But  I  shall  answer,  '  I  tell  you 
I  do  not  know  you,  nor  whence  you  are.  Depart  from  Me, 
all  you  who  do  wickedness.'  "  And  He  told  them  that  they 
who  were  shut  out  would  weep  for  sorrow  when  they  saw 
those  whom  they  knew,  in  Heaven,  while  they  were  not ;  and 
that  people  would  come  from  all  parts  of  the  earth,  East, 
West,  North,  South,  into  God's  beautiful  House  of  Heaven, 
which  the  Jews  thought  was  for  them  alone.  Thus  He  told 
them  once  more  what  had  so  enraged  the  people  of  Galilee, 
that  Heaven  was  not  for  Jews  only,  but  for  the  people  of  all 
nations. 

While  the  Pharisees  in  the  Peraea  did  not  like  the  teach- 
ing of  Jesus,  they  did  not  behave  so  harshly  to  Him  as  the 
Pharisees  of  Judaea  and  Galilee.  They  listened,  and  differed 
from  Him,  but  they  did  not  try  to  catch  Him  with  their 
rules,  nor  to  persecute  Him  with  petty  annoyances  ;  but  now 


298       AS    A    HEN    GATHERETH    HER    CHICKENS. 

that  He  was  leaving  their  country,  they  sought  to  hasten  His 
going.  He  was  in  the  country  of  the  cruel  King  Antipas,  the 
wretch  who  killed  John  the  Baptist,  and  who  wished  Jesus  to 
come  and  visit  him ;  and  the  Pharisees,  knowing  something 
of  the  king's  intentions,  came  to  Jesus  with  a  show  of  real 
friendliness,  and  said — 

"  Get  away  from  here,  and  out  of  our  country,  for  the  king 
wisheth  to  kill  Thee."  This  did  not  frighten  Jesus.  Turning 
calmly  to  them,  He  gave  them  this  message  to  deliver  to  their 
weak  and  wicked  king,  if  they  chose. 

"  Go  and  tell  that  cunning  fox,  that  to-day  and  to-morrow  I 
shall  heal  people,  and  the  third  day  I  am  perfected.  I  must 
go  on  My  way  to  Jerusalem,  to-day,  to-morrow,  and  the  day 
after,  for  it  cannot  be  that  I  shall  die  outside  that  city." 
And  as  He  named  the  name  of  Jerusalem,  a  crowd  of  memo- 
ries came  over  Him,  of  all  that  He  had  tried  to  do  for  the 
people  of  that  city,  of  how  they  had  killed  good  men  in  the 
past,  and  would  kill  Him  too.  He  loved  the  city  which  was 
the  hope  of  all  good  Jews,  and  which  held  the  Temple  of  their 
God. 

"  O  Jerusalem  !  Jerusalem  !  "  He  exclaimed,  "  which  killed 
the  good  men  of  the  past,  and  stoneth  them  that  are  sent  to 
thee  !  How  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  together 
unto  Me,  even  as  a  hen  gathered  her  chickens  under  her  wings, 
and  thou  wouldst  not.  See  how  thy  house  is  left  desolate  !  I 
say  thou  shalt  not  see  Me,  until  thou  criest,  '  Blessed  is  He 
that  cometh  ^n  the  name  of  the  Lord.'  "  Thou  hast  seen  a 
hen  calHng  her  chickens  when  a  dog,  or  hawk,  or  other 
danger  is  near.  How  they  creep  under  her  wings  and  remain 
there  safely  sheltered.  These  words  of  Jesus  are  taken  from 
the  1 1 8th  Psalm,  one  of  the  favourite  Psalms  which  the  people 
sung  at  their  Festivals,  and  are  the  words  which  His  friends 
from  Galilee  shouted  about  a  month  later  at  the  Passover 
Festival  as  He  rode  into  Jerusalem. 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  remember  that  there  is  a  time 
when  thou  canst  hear  the  voice  of  Jesus  calling  thee  to  enter 
Heaven,  but  if  thou  wilt  not  listen  nor  be  guided  by  Him, 


MORNINa    PRAYERS.  299 

the  time  will  come  when  that  gentle  voice  will  cease  to  move 
thee. 

MORNING  PRAYERS. 

PER^A,   SPRING,  A.D.   34. 

Jesus  had  told  His  disciples  that  they  ought  to  pray  fre- 
quently and  earnestly,  because  praying  to  and  trusting  in  God 
would  make  them  strong,  brave,  and  faithful,  and  that  they 
were  not  to  cease  praying  if  they  did  not  get  what  they  wanted, 
for  whether  they  got  what  they  asked  or  no,  praying  itself 
would  do  them  good.  But  they  were  to  use  common  sense 
in  praying;  and  He  told  them  this  story  with  a  meaning, 
about  An  unjust  Judge  ;  and  thou  wilt  bear  in  mind  that  there 
were  then  two  judges  in  Jerusalem  who  were  each  paid  more 
than  ^200  a  year  for  doing  justice,  and  that  they  did  not 
always  do  it. 

"There  was  in  a  city,"  Jesus  said,  "a  judge  who  cared 
neither  for  God  nor  for  man ;  and  there  was  a  widow  in  that 
city,  and  she  came  often  to  him,  saying — 

" '  Do  justice  for  me,  against  mine  opponent.'  "  She  asked 
only  what  was  fair  and  right,  but  perhaps  the  judge  was  lazy, 
perhaps  he  wanted  a  present  of  money  from  her,  but  day 
after  day  she  came  and  asked  the  same  thing,  until  the  judge 
saw  that  he  must  attend  to  her. 

"  Though  I  care  neither  for  God  nor  man,"  he  said  to  him- 
self, "  yet  because  this  woman  troubleth  me  every  day  I  will 
do  justice  for  her  against  her  opponent,  lest  she  weary  me  with 
coming  so  often."  And  so  to  stop  her  from  annoying  him 
with  her  prayers  and  tears,  this  unjust  judge  did  as  she  wished. 
And  Jesus  called  the  attention  of  His  disciples  to  what  the 
judge  in  the  story  did,  saying — 

"  Notice  what  this  unjust  judge  said  and  did ; "  meaning, 
that  even  a  bad  judge  will  listen  to  one  who  will  not  stop  nor 
be  turned  away.  "  And  shall  not  God,"  Jesus  added,  "  do 
what  is  right  for  His  own  ones  who  pray  to  Him  by  day  and 
by  night,  and  whom  He  loveth  ?     I  say  to  you,  that  God  will 


300      PHARISEE,  AND  TAX-GATHERER. 

do  justice  quickly  for  them."  And  then,  as  if  thinking  over 
all  that  He  had  said  and  done  during  His  three  years  of  teach- 
ing, with  a  touch  of  sadness  He  asked  His  disciples  this 
strange  question — 

"  And  yet,  when  I  come  again,  shall  I  find  any  faith  in  the 
world?  "  And  He  left  them  to  think  over  it ;  but  they  could 
give  Him  no  answer,  for  this  is  one  of  His  sayings  which  we 
do  not  understand. 

Among  those  who  came  to  listen  to  Jesus  on  this  His  last 
journey  towards  the  Fords  of  Jordan,  were  some  people,  most 
likely  Pharisees,  who  thought  they  were  so  good  that  they  did 
not  need  any  teaching  from  Him,  nor  to  have  His  Spirit,  and 
that  they  were  sure  of  Heaven ;  and  they  looked  down  on 
other  people  as  being  far  beneath  them.  They  were  very 
careful  to  obey  all  the  rules  of  the  Lawyers,  particularly  the 
rules  about  the  Sabbath.  They  would  not  eat  an  egg  which  a 
hen  laid  on  the  Sabbath,  nor  would  they  carry  a  loaf  of  bread, 
nor  wear  shoes  with  nails  on  that  day  ;  but  they  enjoyed  them- 
selves on  the  Sabbath  all  the  same,  and  had  many  ingenious 
ways  of  avoiding  keeping  rules  which  they  did  not  like.  See- 
ing some  of  these  cold,  self-righteous  men  listening,  but  still 
keeping  out  of  the  crowd  lest  their  cloaks  might  be  defiled  by 
the  common  people,  Jesus  turned  to  them,  and  told  them  a 
beautiful  story  about  a  proud  Pharisee  and  a  humble  tax- 
gatherer,  who  went  together  to  the  Golden  Temple  to  pray. 
This  is  the  story — 

Two  men  went  up  to  the  Temple  to  pray.  The  one  a 
Pharisee,  and  the  other  a  tax-gatherer.  They  would  go  up  in 
the  morning,  at  the  hour  when,  at  the  sound  of  silver  trumpets 
blown  by  the  priests  inside,  all  the  beautiful  doors  were  thrown 
open,  when  the  morning  sacrifice  smoked  upon  the  great  stone 
altar,  and  the  white-robed  priests,  putting  aside  the  outer 
veil  of  blue  and  scarlet,  showed  the  golden  door  of  the 
sanctuary  with  the  golden  vine  over  it,  through  which  they 
passed  into  the  holy  place  to  trim  the  lighted  candles,  and 
throw  incense  upon  the  fire  that  glowed  upon  the  altar  of 
gold  until  the  whole  gilded  chamber  was  filled  with  a  sweet 


THE    LEVITE    CHOIR.  3OI 

heavy  odour.  The  Pharisee,  with  white  turban  and  naked 
feet,  would  walk  to  the  utmost  limits  of  the  men's  court,  the 
numerous  blue  and  white  threads  of  the  tassels  of  his  cloak 
reminding  him  of  the  many  commands  of  the  Law ;  while  tied 
upon  his  brow  and  left  arm  were  little  vellum  boxes  containing 
verses  of  the  Bible,  called  his  phylacteries,  made  large,  as  a 
special  sign  of  his  goodness.  Coming  after  him,  the  tax- 
gatherer  stood  at  the  back  of  the  court,  not  caring  to  go 
further  in.  With  faces  turned  towards  the  golden  splendour  of 
the  Holy  place,  the  two  men  waited  the  signal  for  prayer. 
When  it  came,  the  Pharisee  stood,  and  lifting  up  his  eyes  to 
the  sanctuary  that  shone  on  the  terrace  above  them,  he  prayed 
thus  with  himself — 

"  God,  I  thank  Thee  that  I  am  not  like  other  men,  op- 
pressors, unjust,  wicked,  or  even  like  yonder  tax-gatherer. 
On  two  days  of  the  week  I  take  no  food,  and  I  give  one- 
tenth  part  of  all  that  I  get,  to  the  priests  and  the  Temple." 
And  then  he  ended.  But,  had  he  been  praying?  He  had 
only  been  talking  to  himself,  saying  how  good  he  was,  and 
how  much  better  than  other  people.  But  the  tax-gatherer, 
standing  far  off  from  the  Holy  place,  and  not  so  much  as 
lifting  up  his  eyes  to  it,  struck  his  breast  with  his  hand,  as  he 
said — 

"  God  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner,"  for  he  felt  that  he  was 
bad,  and  was  very  sorry  for  it,  and  prayed  earnestly  to  God  to 
forgive  him.  Again  the  silver  trumpets  sounded,  and  with 
beating  cymbals,  the  immense  choir  of  Levites  and  singing 
boys,  who  crowded  the  fifteen  marble  steps  that  led  to  the 
Priests'  court,  sang  the  psalms  for  the  day,  filling  the  whole 
Temple  with  music.  And  the  Pharisee  walked  past  the  tax- 
gatherer  with  sweeping  robes  and  head  high,  cold  and  proud, 
away  to  his  beautiful  house  in  the  upper  part  of  the  town ; 
while  the  tax-gatherer,  resolving  to  be  a  better  man,  went 
away  down  to  the  lower  streets  of  shops  and  markets  to  do  his 
daily  work.  And  Jesus  told  the  people  what  was  the  differ- 
ence between  these  two  men. 

"  I  tell  you,"  He  said,  "  that  this  tax-gatherer  went  down 


302  WIVES    AND    MOTHERS. 

to  his  house  justified  rather  than  the  Pharisee.  For  every  one 
who  is  proud  shall  be  humbled,  and  every  one  that  is  lowly 
shall  be  raised  up  " — using  nearly  the  same  words  as  He  used 
to  the  Pharisees  when  they  were  trying  who  should  get  the 
highest  seats  at  the  Ruler's  table  a  few  weeks  before. 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  remember  never  to  compare  thy 
goodness  with  thy  neighbours'  faults,  but  to  compare  it  with 
the  pure  hfe  of  Jesus,  for  that  will  make  thee  gentle  in  judg- 
ing thy  companions  ;  for  thou  never  canst  tell  how  they  have 
been  taught  or  tempted,  or  whether  thou  wouldst  have  been 
any  better  than  they,  hadst  thou  been  in  their  place. 


WIVES   AND    MOTHERS. 

PER^^lA,    SPRING,   A.D.    34. 

Once  more  the  Pharisees  of  the  Peraea  came  to  Jesus  with 
a  question,  and  it  was  the  last  they  would  ask  Him  before  He 
left  their  country.  A  little  over  a  month  before.  He  had 
spoken  about  married  people,  and  had  said  that  the  Pharisees 
put  away  their  wives  whenever  they  wished,  in  a  way  that  was 
very  wrong.  Now  the  question  of  marriage  had  caused  much 
wrangling  amongst  Pharisees,  their  two  chief  teachers  taking 
different  sides.  Hallel  said  that  a  man  might  put  away  a  wife 
for  very  slight  reasons,  such  as,  if  she  had  cooked  his  dinner 
badly,  or  if  he  liked  another  woman  better,  or  had  ceased  to 
love  her ;  while  Shammai  said  that  a  husband  could  only  put 
away  his  wiii  for  being  unfaithful.  They  never  thought  of 
discussing  for  what  reasons  a  wife  might  put  away  her  hus- 
bajid ;  for  women  were  looked  upon  as  the  toys,  slaves,  ser- 
vants of  men,  and  a  wife  could  be  bought  for  money.  Girls 
were  taught  that  their  husbands  were  to  be  their  masters,  and 
women  weje  not  allowed  to  sit  with  men  in  Church,  nor  even 
to  walk  with  them  to  it,  but  had  to  go  by  a  back  way,  and  no 
one  thought  of  saying  that  woman  was  man's  equal. 

But  Jesus  had  already  shown  that  He  thought  differently  of 
women.     At  Sychar  He  astonished  His  own  disciples  by  talk- 


MARRIAGE.  303 

ing  to  the  woman  at  the  well ;  in  Galilee  He  shocked  Simon 
the  Pharisee  by  allowing  Mary  Magdalene  to  kiss  His  feet ;  in 
the  Temple  He  surprised  the  people  by  speaking  kindly  to  the 
poor  woman  who  had  been  brought  for  punishment ;  a  month 
ago  He  blamed  the  Pharisees  for  treating  their  wives  so  cru- 
elly ;  and  now  He  was  asked  to  say  what  He  thought  of  the 
rights  of  women  in  marriage.  Spring  time  is  advancing,  and 
the  sun  is  hot  in  the  valley  of  the  Jordan,  and  He  stands  in 
the  shade  of  a  green  tree  speaking  to  the  people,  as  the  Phar- 
isees come  to  Him. 

"  Is  it  right,"  they  asked,  "  for  a  man  to  put  away  his  wife 
for  any  reason?"  They  wished  to  put  Jesus  into  a  difficulty, 
for  most  of  the  men  there,  thought  that  they  had  a  right  to  put 
away  one  wife  and  marry  another,  just  as  they  might  change 
a  servant.  Jesus  answered  with  a  question,  asking  them  if 
they  had  not  read  in  their  Bibles  how  that  God  when  He 
made  the  world,  made  also  men  and  women,  and  that  when  a 
man  married  he  was  to  leave  his  mother  and  father  and  live 
with  his  wife,  and  they  were  ever  after  to  be  like  one  person. 
So  that  men  were  not  to  think  that  they  could  be  separated 
from  their  wives  whenever  they  wished ;  and  He  added  these 
solemn  words — 

''  What  God  hath  joined  together,  let  not  man  separate." 
And  thus  He  answered  the  Pharisees  out  of  the  same  Bible, 
which  they  pretended  to  know  and  teach  to  others.  But  the 
Pharisees  could  quote  a  rule  of  Moses  against  the  Bible,  and 
replied  briskly,  saying — 

"  Moses  hath  allowed  us  to  put  away  our  wives,  if  we  give 
them  a  letter  saying  that  we  have  put  them  away  forever." 
But  Jesus  answered  that  it  was  because  of  their  hard  selfish 
hearts  towards  women  that  Moses  had  given  them  such  a 
rule ;  that  it  had  not  always  been  so,  for  there  was  the 
Law  of  God,  of  which  He  had  already  spoken,  which  had 
been  from  the  beginning  of  the  world,  and  which  was  higher 
than  the  rule  of  Moses,  and  it  said  that  a  man  must  be  to 
his  wife  as  if  they  were  one  person.  And  He  repeated 
again  what  He  had  told  the  people  on  Mount  Hattin,  three 


304  FACES    OF    FAIR    WOMEN. 

years  before,  that  there  was  only  one  thing  for  which  married 
people  could  be  separated — unfaithfulness  to  each  other — and 
that  if  a  man  were  to  send  away  his  wife  for  any  other  reason, 
she  would  still  be  his  wife,  and  he  might  not  marry  another 
woman. 

His  words  were  so  just  and  so  wise,  that  the  Pharisees  could 
make  no  reply,  and  went  away  in  silence.  Thus  we  find  Jesus 
telling  these  proud  Pharisees  that  their  wives  were  as  good  as 
they — that  a  wife  has  a  claim  upon  her  husband,  equal  to  the 
husband's  claim  upon  her ;  for,  to  Jesus,  woman  was  not  man's 
inferior,  or  servant,  or  toy,  but  a  living  soul,  and  man's  equal. 
And  this  truth  has  so  spread,  that  wherever  Christianity  is 
taught,  one  of  its  first  effects  is  to  place  woman  upon  an 
equality  with  man,  and  to  establish  her  moral  and  intellectual 
independence.  When  the  crowd  went  away,  and  Jesus  went 
into  the  house  to  rest,  His  disciples  came  round  Him  to  ask 
questions  about  this  strange  new  thing  which  He  had  said 
about  the  rights  of  women ;  for  they  too  had  always  regarded 
a  wife  as  the  servant  of  her  husband,  a  thing  to  be  bought  for 
little  or  much,  according  to  her  beauty  and  cleverness,  and  to 
be  sent  away  at  any  time  the  man  wished,  with  a  letter  in  her 
hand,  and  some  money. 

*'  Since  it  is  so,"  the  disciples  said,  "  that  a  man  cannot  put 
away  his  wife,  it  is  not  wise  for  men  to  marry  at  all?  "  The 
idea  of  being  married  for  life  to  one  woman  was  so  new  to 
them,  that  they  seriously  asked  Jesus  whether  it  would  not  be 
better  for  men  never  to  marry.  Evidently  they  could  not  be 
got  to  unaerstand  how  this  could  ever  be  right,  for,  after 
repeating  to  His  disciples  much  of  what  He  had  already  told 
the  Pharisees,  Jesus  said — 

"  Everybody  cannot  understand  this,  but  only  they  to  whom 
it  is  given."  And  he  named  a  few  kinds  of  men  who  ought  not 
to  marry;  all  others  being  free  to  marry  if  they  wished. 

When  thou,  my  child,  seest  the  sweet  faces  of  fair  women 
in  our  streets,  and  hearest  their  gentle  voices  wherever  thou 
dost  go,  I  would  have  thee  remember  how  much  our  mothers 
and  sisters  owe  of  the  liberty  and  happiness  of  their  lives,  and 


HE    BLESSES    THE    LITTLE    CHILDREN.  305 

of  the  sanctity  of  their  homes,  to  Him  who  so  long  ago 
spoke  to  the  Pharisees  of  the  Peraea,  of  their  equal  rights 
with  men. 


HE   BLESSES   THE   LITTLE   CHILDREN. 

PEIL^LA.,    SPRING,   A.D.    34. 

We  come  now  to  another  very  beautiful  picture  in  the  life 
of  Jesus,  and  in  it  He  is  surrounded  with  children. 

The  news  of  what  He  had  said  to  the  Pharisees  about  a 
man  having  no  right  to  put  away  his  wife  whenever  he  liked, 
was  carried  into  the  homes  of  the  people,  and  there  the  mothers 
heard,  and  talked  about  it.  The  women  of  that  country  loved 
Jesus.  Amid  all  the  unkindness  shown  to  Him  during  the 
three  last  years  of  His  life,  we  do  not  hear  of  an  unkind  word, 
deed,  or  thought,  from  a  woman ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  we 
read  of  them  following  Him,  giving  Him  presents,  inviting 
Him  in,  blessing  Him,  bringing  their  children  to  Him,  ex- 
claiming against  His  death,  weeping  for  Him,  and  mourning 
at  His  grave.  Their  hearts  pitied  the  young  Teacher,  so 
gentle,  so  beautiful,  who  bade  their  husbands  love  and  respect 
them,  and  said  that  Heaven  was  the  home  of  little  children. 
Their  purer  spirits  seemed  clearer  to  discern  the  Spirit  of  God 
that  was  in  Him. 

It  was  a  common  thing  for  mothers  to  bring  their  children 
to  an  old  Teacher  that  he  might  put  his  hands  upon  their 
heads  and  say  that  he  hoped  they  would  be  good  children ; 
and  the  mothers  of  the  Persea  wished  to  bring  their  children 
to  Jesus  that  He  also  might  bless  them.  They  heard  He  was 
about  to  leave  their  country,  perhaps  to  be  killed  in  Jeru- 
salem, and  with  a  strange  show  of  interest  and  affection,  these 
humble  enslaved  mothers  of  the  children  of  that  land,  bade 
him  farewell.  Spring  was  advancing.  The  prickly  bushes  of 
the  pomegranate  were  bright  with  bell- shaped  flowers  of 
orange-red,  swallows  with  white  breasts  and  flickering  wings 
were  skimming  the  tree  shaded  pools,  and  as  He  passed  through 
one  of  their  villages,  and  sat  by  the  wayside  in  the  shadow  of  a 


3o6  COME    UNTO    ME. 

green  sycamore  tree,  the  women  came  forth  from  their  little 
white  houses,  calling  their  children  after  them,  leading  some, 
carrying  others,  for  they  brought  their  babes  also.  See  them 
as  they  come,  small  dusky  boys  with  very  scant  clothing,  little 
red-cheeked  girls  with  bright  garments  thrown  round  them,  all 
glad  to  go  pattering  through  the  yellow  dust  of  the  road,  to  see 
the  kind  Teacher  who  had  made  Himself  their  Friend.  In 
twos  and  threes  came  the  mothers,  with  bright  kerchiefs  on 
their  heads,  and  coarse  red  or  blue  garments,  for  they  were 
only  village  women,  yet  they  dared  not  speak  much  to  Jesus, 
for  their  husbands  would  not  allow  them  to  speak  to  a  man 
on  the  road ;  but  they  did  what  they  were  at  liberty  to  do,  and 
it  was  a  beautiful  thing.  Bringing  their  children  to  Him  as 
He  sat  in  the  shade,  pushing  forward  the  shy  ones,  with 
low  soft  voices,  and  modest  eyes  cast  down,  they  made  this 
gentle  request — 

*'  Before  Thou  goest  from  among  us,  bless  our  little  children, 
and  put  Thy  hands  on  them  and  pray  for  them."  He  did  as 
the  women  asked  Him,  and  blessed  their  children ;  but  more 
mothers  came,  with  more  children,  yellow  heads  and  dark, 
blue  eyes  and  black,  a  little  crowd  of  pure  spirits  that  filled 
the  heart  of  Jesus  with  joy,  as  they  pressed  round  Him  in  the 
sunshine  and  the  shadow. 

But  when  His  disciples  saw  the  number  of  mothers  and 
children  who  were  coming,  thinking  that  He  was  being  fool- 
ishly troubled  by  these  women,  they  began  to  stop  the  mothers 
and  forbad'^  the  children  to  come  any  nearer.  Jesus  noticed 
the  disciples  turning  away  the  women  and  keeping  back  the 
children,  who  stood  aloof  with  hanging  heads,  and  He  was 
much  displeased  with  them  for  stopping  His  little  friends, 
and  told  the  disciples  to  cease  doing  so  in  these  words,  which 
should  be  hung  up  in  every  nursery  in  England — 

"  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  yJ/<f,"  He  said,  "  aiid 

forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is  The  Kingdom  of  Heaveji^   Joyful 

words  to  those  mothers  who  with  downcast  hearts  and  averted 

eyes  were  turning  to  go  away  with  their  children  unblest.    The 

disciples,  at  the  sound  of  His  voice,  ceased  to  interfere,  and 


OF    SUCH    IS    HEAVEN.  307 

with  humbled  looks  stood  by,  a  body  of  gruff  men,  corrected 
before  these  loving  women.  While  the  children,  freeing  them- 
selves from  their  mothers*  skirts,  ran  forward,  a  troop  of  glad 
faces,  eager  to  be  touched  by  Jesus.  And  there  upon  that 
open  way  He  not  only  blessed  them  as  He  sat  with  the  leaf- 
shadows  flickering  over  His  white  tunic  and  calm  sweet  face — 
truly  an  elder  Brother  to  these  innocents — but  He  took  the 
babes  up  in  His  arms,  and  on  the  heads  of  the  little  boys  and 
girls  He  laid  loving  hands,  and  blessed  them  all.  And  as  He 
blest  them,  He  said  to  His  disciples,  who  were  standing  a  short 
way  off  with  their  skirts  girt  up  and  long  sticks  in  their  hands, 
ready  for  the  journey — 

"  Whoever  is  not  willing  to  receive  Heaven  as  a  little  child 
shall  not  enter  it."  This  was  the  second  time  He  had  taught 
His  disciples  a  lesson  on  purity  and  trust  from  Httle  children, 
having  said  almost  the  same  words  to  them  in  Peter's  house 
less  than  a  year  before.  And  looking  round  upon  His  little 
friends,  who  had  striven  to  sit  upon  His  knee  and  put  His 
hands  upon  their  heads,  and  whose  faces  were  shining  with 
happiness.  He  said — 

"Whoever  shall  receive  one  of  these  little  children  in  My 
name,  receiveth  Me,  and  whoever  receiveth  Me,  receiveth  not 
Me  only,  but  God  who  sent  Me  " — also  words  which  He  had 
used  about  children  before,  and  while  the  little  ones  did  not 
understand  Him,  the  mothers'  hearts  were  glad,  for  they  knew 
that  the  goodness  of  Jesus  was  in  their  dear  children. 

This  was  one  of  the  last  things  Jesus  did  in  the  Peraea,  for, 
when  He  had  blessed  all  the  children  who  were  brought  to 
Him,  little  children  who  belonged  to  His  beautiful  Kingdom  of 
Heaven  in  this  world.  He  rose,  and  with  His  disciples  left  the 
village  on  His  way  to  the  Fords  of  Jordan.  And  the  mothers 
led  their  children  home,  looking  over  their  shoulders  at  the 
retreating  figure  of  Jesus  their  King,  and  wishing  they  might 
go  with  Him. 

No  sweeter  fruit  could  have  been  offered  to  Jesus  of  His 
teaching  in  the  Peraea,  than  that  the  mothers  should  bring  their 
children  to  Him,  nor  can  any  better  fruit  come  of  His  mes- 


3o8  THE    RICH    YOUNG    RULER. 

sage  to  us,  than  that  Httle  children  should  early  learn  to  come 
to  Him,  to  love  Him,  and  to  ask  His  blessing  on  their 
heads.  And  thou,  too,  hast  been  brought  by  thy  mother  to 
Jesus,  and  though  thou  canst  not  see  His  face  nor  feel  His 
hand,  thou  canst  hear  His  voice  that  whispers  of  goodness  in 
thy  heart. 

THE    RICH    YOUNG    RULER. 

FORDS   OF  JORDAN,    SPRING,   A.D.    34. 

Having  said  farewell  to  the  women  and  children  at  the  vil- 
lage, Jesus  and  His  disciples  walked  down  from  the  hills 
towards  the  valley  of  the  Jordan ;  but,  looking  back,  they  saw 
a  young  man  hastening  after  them,  one  of  the  Rulers  of  the 
church  of  the  village  through  which  they  had  just  passed. 
He  was  a  good  man,  and  very  rich,  and  had  heard  Jesus 
speaking,  and  he  wished  to  ask  Him  one  thing  before  He 
went  away.  Kneeling  upon  the  road,  he  asked  earnestly 
almost  the  same  question  as  the  Lawyer  had  put  a  few 
months  before  near  Jericho — 

"Good  Master,"  he  said,  ''what  good  thing  shall  I  do  that 
I  may  have  Heaven?"  He  was  in  a  high  position,  and 
thought  that  he  might  do  some  great  and  good  thing  and  so  win 
Heaven ;  for  although  he  had  tried  to  be  good  all  his  life,  yet 
hearing  Jesus  speak  had  roused  a  strong  wish  to  be  better. 
Jesus  looked  at  him  as  he  knelt,  waiting  for  a  command,  and 
said  gently — 

"  Why  dost  thou  ask  Me  about  what  is  good  ?  One  alone 
is  Good."  And  the  young  man  knew  that  He  meant  God. 
"  But  if  thou  wouldst  have  Heaven,"  Jesus  continued,  "  keep 
the  commandments  of  God."  The  young  man  expected  to  be 
told  to  do  some  grand  and  heroic  thing,  but  he  was  told  only 
what  he  had  learnt  when  a  boy  at  school. 

"  Which  commandment  ?  "  he  asked  earnestly,  thinking  that 
Jesus  might  have  something  new  to  tell  him  about  obeying 
them.  Jesus  liked  his  earnestness,  and  told  him  the  principal 
commandments,  thus — 


WHAT    NEED    I    YET?  3O9 

"  Thou  shalt  not  kill ;  thou  shalt  not  steal,  nor  be  unfaith- 
ful to  thy  wife,  nor  give  false  evidence  ;  honour  thy  father  and 
thy  mother,  and  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself."  Now  these 
commandments  were  against  doing  wicked  things  which  this 
young  man  would  not  be  likely  to  have  done,  and  he  answered 
truthfully — 

"  I  have  kept  all  these  commandments  since  I  was  a  youth. 
What  do  I  require  to  do  still?"  That  is,  since  he  had  begun 
to  think  for  himself  he  had  kept  them,  but  he  felt  that  he 
needed  something  more.  And  as  Jesus  looked  at  him,  so 
eager  to  make  better  his  already  good  life,  He  loved  him,  and 
wished  him  to  become  one  of  His  friends,  and  looking  kindly 
at  him.  He  said — 

"  One  thing  thou  needest,  if  thou  wouldst  be  perfect.  Go 
and  sell  everything  thou  hast,  and  give  the  money  to  poor 
people,  and  thou  shalt  be  rich  in  Heavenly  things,  and  come, 
follow  Me."  Now,  he  had  got  the  answer  which  he  so  much 
wished,  and  the  young  Master  had  offered  to  take  him  with 
Him  !  Thou  hast  heard  of  the  sunshine  of  this  young  man's 
life.  What  was  its  shadow?  When  he  heard  this  answer  his 
face  changed,  became  perplexed  and  sorrowful ;  and  as  he 
wavered,  Jesus  saw  the  spirit  of  evil  overcoming  the  spirit  of 
good  within  Him.  He  longed  to  have  Heaven,  but  he  loved 
his  wealth.  He  had  to  say  "Yes"  or  ''No"  at  once.  Give  up 
houses,  horses,  lands,  money,  and  be  laughed  at  by  his  friends, 
or  tell  Jesus  that  he  loved  something  else  better  than  His  offer. 
Perhaps  he  satisfied  himself  with  a  middle  course,  hoping  to 
keep  his  wealth  and  still  try  to  be  good,  to  be  contented  with 
less  of  goodness  than  Jesus  offered.  He  did  not  speak,  but 
rose  and  turned  sorrowfully,  for  he  could  not  give  up  his 
wealth,  being  so  very  rich. 

When  Jesus  saw  the  young  man  turning  thus  sadly  away 
from  entering  His  Kingdom  when  the  one  fault  of  his  life  was 
pointed  out  to  him.  He  was  grieved,  and  speaking  to  His 
disciples  who  were  near.  He  said — 

"  It  is  difficult  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven."     And  they  were  astonished  to  hear  Him  say  this, 


3IO  THE    DANGER    OF    RICHES. 

for  they  admired  rich  people.  The  men  who  were  considered 
hohest  in  Jerusalem  were  rich,  while  poor  men  were  pushed 
aside  for  being  poor,  and  the  disciples  themselves  hoped  to  be 
made  rich  in  the  Kingdom  of  Jesus,  for  following  Him  as 
they  were  doing. 

"  Children,"  said  Jesus,  seeing  their  surprise,  and  as  though 
drawing  them  closer  to  Himself,  "  it  is  difficult  for  them  that 
trust  in  their  riches,  to  enter  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven."  And 
then  they  understood  Him  better ;  that  men  must  not  trust 
to  money  to  make  them  good  and  bring  them  into  Heaven, 
for  that  is  impossible,  Jesus  adding,  in  one  of  the  proverbs 
of  the  country,  "  It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  the  eye 
of  a  needle,  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven."  But  these  words  again  perplexed  the  disciples,  for 
they  knew  that  rich  people  gave  much  money  to  their  churches, 
and  they  all  hoped  to  be  rich,  and  Jesus  had  promised  that 
they  would  enter  His  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 

"Who  then,  can  enter  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven ?"  asked 
one  of  them  in  a  surprised  tone,  for  he  thought  that  if  rich 
men  could  not  easily  get  in,  no  others  could  do  so.  Jesus 
did  not  wish  to  speak  further,  and  looking  at  them,  He  an- 
swered quietly — 

"Things  w^hich  seem  impossible  with  men,  are  possible 
with  God,  for  all  things  are  possible  with  Him."  But  this 
answer  did  not  satisfy  them.  They  talked  over  it,  and  thought 
over  it,  and  although  Jesus  had  taught  them  that  He  had  come 
to  bring  "^e  Kingdom  of  Heaven  to  the  poor,  they  were 
anxious  at  that  moment  to  have  a  clear  understanding  about 
the  riches  which  they  expected  to  get  from  His  Kingdom. 
Peter  spoke  for  the  rest,  who  pressed  round  to  hear  the  end 
of  this  thing  in  which  they  were  so  deeply  interested,  and  he 
began  earnestly  addressing  his  gentle  Master — 

"See 'us,"  he  said  to  Jesus,  "we  have  all  left  our  homes 
and  followed  Thee,  and  what  are  we  to  have  for  it?"  The 
first  part  of  the  answer  of  Jesus  is  one  of  those  sayings  reach- 
ing into  the  future  which  I  cannot  explain  to  thee,  and  which 
it  is  not  necessary  that  thou  shouldst  understand ;  but  it  must 


RICH    AND    POOR.  3 1  I 

have  filled  the  minds  of  these  Galilean  fishermen  with  splendid 
dreams. 

"  I  say  truly,"  said  Jesus,  "  that  you  who  have  followed  Me, 
when  I  sit  in  Heaven  on  the  throne  of  My  glory,  you  shall 
also  sit  upon  twelve  thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel.  And,"  He  added,  "  every  man  who  hath  left  his 
brothers,  sisters,  mother,  father,  wife,  children,  house,  or  lands, 
for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven's  sake,  shall  receive  much  more 
in  this  world,  with  punishments,  and  Heaven  in  the  world  to 
come."  Thus,  whatever  thou  givest  up — like  the  young 
Ruler's  riches — for  Jesus'  sake,  thou  wilt  have  greater  happiness 
than  if  thou  hadst  kept  them ;  and  have  Heaven  hereafter. 
And  He  added  this  old  short  warning  to  those  who  thought 
they  could  count  up  their  good  deeds,  and  fix  their  reward — 

"But,"  He  said,  "  many  that  are  first  shall  be  last,  and  last 
shall  be  first."  Thus  a  pure  childlike  service,  which  counts 
on  no  reward,  will  be  put  before  the  worship  of  those  who  do 
no  good  thing  without  thinking  how  good  it  is  of  them  to'  do 
it ;  so  that  many  who  have  seemed  great  and  good  to  them- 
selves and  other  people,  and  who  came  first  on  earth,  may 
find  that  some  who  were  never  noticed  and  least  thought 
of  in  this  world,  will  for  their  purity  of  service  be  first  in 
Heaven.  What  a  hope  this  is  for  children  !  Not  riches, 
not  cleverness,  not  knowledge,  not  power,  but  purity  of 
mind  and  simplicity  of  heart,  these  are  the  treasures  of 
Heaven. 

Therefore,  my  child,  let  rich  and  poor  be  all  alike  to  thee. 
Measure  people  by  their  goodness,  not  by  their  money ;  and 
if  thou  art  ever  tempted  to  seek  after  wealth  and  to  forget 
God,  remember  that  wealth  is  too  often  like  gold  in  the 
pockets  of  the  shipwrecked  sailor,  which  cannot  save,  but  may 
sink  him. 


312  THE   WORKERS    AND    THE    VINES. 

THE   WORKERS   AND   THE   VINES. 

JERICHO   PLAIN,    SPRING,  A.D,  34. 

The  road  from  the  foot  of  the  Peraean  Hills  to  the  Fords  at 
Jericho  passed  through  sandy  and  uncultivated  country, 
gradually  down  to  the  deep  terraced  valley  of  the  Jordan, 
that  was  lined  thickly  with  trees  along  the  banks  up  to  which 
the  water  rose  at  flood  times.  The  trees  were  now  in  full 
green  leaf,  and  when  Jesus  and  His  disciples  waded  through 
the  water  at  the  wide,  shallow  ford,  and  went  up  the  steep 
road  that  led  to  Jericho,  they  were  then  in  the  most  fruitful 
district  in  the  land,  where  flowers  first  bloomed,  and  barley 
first  ripened,  and  grapes  and  figs  were  soonest  ready. 
Although  the  sun  shone  hotly  now,  the  grass  was  fresh  and 
green,  and  the  leaves  of  the  sycamore  and  fig  and  palm  trees 
cast  their  shadows  on  the  road,  while  the  fragrant  blossom 
of  the  flowering  fruit  trees — apple,  apricot,  almond,  and 
balsam — scented  the  air.  Wheat  and  barley  were  already 
waving  in  the  fields  like  billows  upon  a  yellow  sea,  while  by 
the  roadside  the  daisy  fringed  its  white  star,  the  red  anemone 
spread  its  flowers  in  thousands  through  the  grass,  and  in  the 
tangled  wood  the  damask  rose  and  scarlet  geranium  grew 
wild ;  and  while  in  the  deep  blue  air  the  lark  hid  itself 
singing  by  the  snowy  cloud,  twittering  sparrows  held  their 
councils  in  the  hedge,  and  thrush  called  to  thrush  where  trees 
were  thick. 

On  the  slopes  and  terraces  of  the  Jordan  valley  the  disciples 
had  seen  the  vines  in  thousands,  with  their  broad  green  leaves 
and  slender  tendrils  twining  round  poles,  where  the  little 
grapes  were  forming.  They  also  saw  the  broad  well- hedged 
gardens,  where  among  the  green  vines,  with  bare  and  dusky 
arms,  the  labourers  were  at  work  thinning  the  fruit  and  clean- 
ing off'  the  insects.  But  the  busiest  time  was  in  Summer, 
when  the  heavy  bunches  of  rich  black  grapes  were  gathered 
into  baskets  and  carried  to  the  wine  tubs  to  have  the  juice 
pressed  out,  and  then  the  whole  vineyard  was  busy  as  an 
EngHsh  harvest  field. 


IN    THE    MARKET    PLACE.  313 

As  they  went  through  this  rich  country  towards  Jericho, 
Jesus  told  them  a  story  about  The  Workers  and  the  Vines, 
which  is  part  of  His  answer  to  Peter's  question  when  he  asked 
what  the  disciples  were  to  get  for  following  Him.  He  said 
that  The  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  like  a  rich  man  who  had  a 
fine  house  and  large  vineyard,  and  he  required  more  workers, 
and  went  out  early  in  the  morning  to  the  village  market-place 
to  get  men  to  work,  and  they  made  a  bargain  with  him, 
agreeing  to  work  all  day  for  one  penny  each,  which  was 
counted  good  payment  in  that  country,  and  all  the  idle  men 
who  were  there,  went  away  to  work  for  him,  commencing 
about  five  in  the  morning,  while  the  day  was  cool.  But  he 
found  that  he  had  not  enough  workers,  and  about  nine  o'clock, 
when  the  sun  was  growing  hot,  he  went  back  to  the  market, 
and  again  hired  all  the  idle  men  who  were  standing  in  the  sun- 
shine, saying — 

"  Go  you  also  into  my  vineyard  and  work,  and  I  will  pay 
you  whatever  is  right."  And  they  also  went  away  and  began 
to  work,  trusting  that  he  would  give  them  what  they  deserved. 
The  first  men,  however,  would  not  trust  him  so ;  they  bar- 
gained for  a  penny  each.  But  he  had  so  much  to  do  in  his 
large  vineyard,  that  twice,  at  twelve  and  at  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  he  went  back  again  to  the  market-place,  and 
each  time  he  found  more  men,  who  went  gladly  to  work  for 
him,  with  no  better  bargain  than  the  rest,  trusting  that  he 
would  treat  them  fairly.  Again  he  went  to  the  market,  and 
by  this  time  it  was  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  heat  of 
the  day  was  over,  and  the  working  day  was  nearly  past,  for 
darkness  came  on  about  six,  and  finding  still  some  idle  men, 
he  said — 

*'  Why  do  you  stand  here  all  the  day  idle  ?  " 

"Because  nobody  hath  hired  us,"  they  replied. 

"  Go  you  also  into  my  vineyard,"  he  said,  and  although  he 
did  not  promise  them  anything  at  all,  and  they  were  not 
likely  to  get  anything  for  working  so  short  a  time  as  one  hour, 
they  obeyed  him  willingly.  In  an  hour's  time  the  red  sun  was 
setting  over  the  purple  hills,  and  all  work  had  to  be  stopped 


314  EVERY    ONE,    A    PENNY. 

among  the  vines,  and  the  master   told   his   servant   to   pay 
the  workers  as  they  went  away,  saying — 

"  Call  the  workers  and  pay  them  their  hire  of  one  penny 
each,  beginning  at  these  who  came  last,  and  ending  with  these 
who  came  first."  And  the  servant  did  as  he  was  told.  He 
called  up  first  these  who  came  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
who  had  not  been  promised  anything,  and  who  hardly  hoped 
to  get  money,  and  to  their  surprise  each  one  got  a  penny  put 
into  his  hand.  The  other  workers  who  had  been  promised 
what  was  right  were  called  next,  and  each  one  got  a  penny 
also,  and  they  were  much  pleased.  Last  of  all  came  the 
workers  who  had  bargained  before  they  would  begin,  to  get  a 
penny  for  working  all  day,  and  who  now  expected  to  get  more, 
but  each  one  got  also  a  penny.  But  when  they  received  it 
they  would  not  go  away,  and  flung  their  pennies  on  the  ground, 
and  spoke  against  their  master  to  his  servant,  saying  that  he 
was  not  a  just  man. 

"These  last  men  have  only  worked  one  hour,"  they  ex- 
claimed, *'  and  thou  hast  made  them  equal  with  us  who  have 
worked  all  through  the  heat  of  the  day."  When  this  was  told 
to  the  master,  he  came  and  spoke  to  them,  but  he  was  not 
angry ;  and  calling  them  his  friends,  he  showed  them  that 
they  were  quite  wrong  in  what  they  said. 

"  Friend,"  he  said  to  one  of  them,  "  I  have  done  nothing 
unfair  to  thee.  Thou  didst  agree  with  me  to  work  all  day  for 
a  penny ; — take  it  up  and  go  away,  for  it  is  my  will  to  give  to 
these  men  who  came  last,  the  same  as  to  thee.  Is  it  wrong 
for  me  to  do  what  I  will  with  mine  own  money?  Hath  my 
kindness  made  thee  jealous?  "  The  sight  of  his  generosity  to 
the  other  workers,  instead  of  exciting  the  admiration  of  these 
men  had  only  made  them  envious  and  angry.  But  how  could 
it  be  fair  to  pay  all  these  workers  alike  ?  They  were  paid, 
not  for  the  work  they  did,  but  for  the  way  in  which  they  did 
it.  They  who  bargained  for  a  penny,  got  it,  while  they  who 
trusted  their  master  and  gave  him  willing  service,  because  of 
the  way  in  which  they  worked,  got  far  more  than  they  ex- 
pected. God  measures  all  work  done  for  Him  by  the  love 
with  which  it  is  done, 


THE    SONS    OF    ZEBEDEE.  315 

Having  told  His  disciples  this  story,  Jesus  explained  that 
it  was  intended  to  show  what  He  meant  by  the  words  "  The 
last  should  be  first,  and  the  first  last." 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  rejoice  that  Jesus  puts  such  value 
upon  small  services,  if  they  are  given  in  love  and  trust ;  for  all 
that  children  can  do  with  hand  or  voice  is  little  compared 
with  what  great  and  clever  men  can  do ;  but  in  sweet  single- 
ness of  heart  the  loving  service  of  a  child  is  a  pattern  to  the 
greatest  of  men. 

THE     SONS    OF    ZEBEDEE. 

PLAIN    OF  JERICHO,    SPRING,   A.D.    34. 

Jericho  was  six  miles  from  the  Fords  of  Jordan,  and  as 
Jesus  chmbed  up  the  steep  road  from  the  river,  behind  them 
lay  a  stream  winding  down  to  the  Dead  Sea,  with  the  green 
hills  of  the  Peraea  and  the  purple  mountains  of  Moab  in  the 
background ;  before  them  were  the  bare  limestone  hills  of 
Judaea,  and  all  around  spread  the  well- watered  plain  of  Jericho, 
stretching  for  twelve  miles,  so  thick  with  fruit  trees  and  rich 
crops,  that  it  was  called  the  Paradise  of  Judaea.  When  cross- 
ing the  river,  they  were  accompanied  by  numbers  of  joyous 
people  on  camels,  asses,  and  horses,  going  to  keep  the  Pass- 
over at  Jerusalem,  for  it  was  the  caravan  road  from  Arabia, 
and  most  of  the  people  from  Galilee  and  the  Peraea,  came 
over  this  Ford  to  go  to  the  Festival.  The  road  was  now  full  of 
pilgrims  in  Httle  family  groups,  pedlars  with  their  packs  of 
wares,  fruit-sellers  with  their  baskets,  priests  riding  on  asses, 
and  country  people  walking,  all  toiHng  onwards  towards  the 
gates  of  Jericho,  whose  houses  of  red  brick  and  palaces  of 
white  marble  rose  from  among  the  feathery  palm  trees  and 
beautiful  gardens,  which  gave  it  the  name  of  the  perfumed 
city. 

The  disciples  knew  of  the  danger  into  which  Jesus  was 
going,  for  the  council  of  priests  at  Jerusalem,  in  view  of 
the  approaching  Passover,  had  given  notice  that  if  any 
person  knew  where  Jesus  was,  he  was  to  tell  them  that  He 


31 6  HIS    COMING    DEATH. 

might  be  taken  a  prisoner  wherever  He  could  be  found. 
Perhaps  the  priests  hoped  to  frighten  Jesus  away,  but  the 
disciples  were  astonished  to  see  that  instead  of  walking 
as  usual  along  with  them,  He  went  on  before,  as  though 
anxious  to  meet  danger,  and  they  followed,  although  they 
would  willingly  have  turned  back.  They  did  not  know,  they 
could  not  tell,  that  He  had  now  reached  the  last  fortnight  of 
His  Hfe.  Never  again  would  He  walk  through  those  warm 
country  lanes  which  He  loved,  where  the  tangled  wild  flowers 
grew,  and  gum  trees  flung  their  shadows  on  the  yellow  path- 
way. And  as  He  walked.  He  told  them  that  this  would  be  His 
last  journey.  He  knew  that  His  enemies  the  priests  would 
again  try  to  take  Him  a  prisoner,  and  this  time  He  would  not 
avoid  capture,  but  would  rather  invite  it  by  going  openly 
into  the  city,  and  speaking  against  the  chief  men  in  their 
own  Temple  with  even  greater  force  than  before ;  and  He 
knew  that  when  they  took  Him  a  prisoner  they  would  have 
Him  put  to  death,  which  meant  that  He  would  first  be 
scourged  and  made  sport  of  by  the  soldiers.  And  so,  taking 
His  disciples  aside  by  themselves,  He  again  told  them  plainly 
and  earnestly  what  would  happen  to  Him,  so  that  they  might 
not  be  afraid  when  it  came.  He  had  told  them  before  at 
Mount  Hermon,  on  the  road  from  Cesaraea  to  Capernaum, 
and  in  the  Peraea,  what  would  be  the  end  of  His  work,  and 
they  would  not  believe  Him,  but  had  begun  to  quarrel  over 
who  should  be  greatest  when  He  was  King  over  Jerusalem 
and  the  world. 

"  We  are  going  up  to  Jerusalem,"  He  told  them  now  again, 
"  where  everything  will  happen  that  hath  been  written  about 
Me  in  the  Bible.  I  shall  be  given  up  to  the  chief  priests  and 
the  Lawyers,  who  will  say  that  I  should  be  put  to  death,  and 
will  give  Me  over  to  the  Roman  soldiers,  who  will  mock  and 
scourge -and  spit  upon  Me,  and  nail  Me  upon  a  wooden  cross 
to  die,  and  on  the  third  day  I  shall  rise  again."  But  the  dis- 
ciples did  not  understand  Him.  They  firmly  believed  that 
the  coming  of  His  great  Kingdom  was  very  near  now,  and  as 
what  He  told  them  now  did  not  suit  the  splendid  plans  which 


A    MOTHERS    REQUEST.  317 

they  had  made  for  themselves  and  for  Him,  they  again  refused 
to  beUeve  Him.  A  kingdom  such  as  they  expected,  without  a 
king,  was  to  their  minds  ridiculous.  They  felt  sure  that  He 
was  mistaken  in  what  He  said ;  and  that  the  people  at  the 
Passover  would  gather  round  Him  and  make  Him  their  King, 
and  that  the  priests  would  not  be  able  to  take  Him  a  prisoner. 
They  could  not  understand  that  His  Kingdom  was  in  their 
hearts  only,  and  that  it  would  never  put  money  into  their 
pockets  nor  crowns  upon  their  heads. 

Two  of  the  disciples,  James  and  John,  felt  certain  that 
crowns  and  thrones  were  near.  They  were  the  sons  of 
Zebedee  the  fisherman  at  the  Lake  of  Gennesaret,  cousins  of 
Jesus,  and  were  rather  better  off  than  the  other  disciples. 
Why  should  they  not  be  His  chief  Princes  ?  They  told  their 
mother  Salome,  who  along  with  other  women  had  come  from 
Galilee,  that  the  kingdom  of  heaven  was  near.  Salome  knew 
what  her  sons  had  done  for  Jesus  during  the  three  years  that 
they  had  been  with  Him,  and  she  thought  that  now  had  come 
the  time  when  a  private  word  would  secure  for  them  the 
highest  places  in  His  great  kingdom.  She  told  her  sons  of 
her  plan,  and  despite  all  that  Jesus  had  said  against  seeking 
to  be  the  greatest  among  the  disciples,  these  two  men  agreed 
to  her  proposal.  An  opportunity  soon  arrived  when  Jesus 
was  alone  by  Himself,  and,  bidding  her  sons  follow  her, 
Salome  came,  and  kneeling,  worshipped  Him. 

"  Master,"  she  said,  "we  wish  Thee  to  do  for  us  whatever 
we  shall  ask." 

"  What  do  you  wish  Me  to  do  for  you  ?  "  Jesus  replied. 
And  thinking  only  of  her  sons,  Salome  answered — 

"  Command  that  these  my  two  sons  shall  sit  the  one 
on  Thy  right  hand  and  the  other  on  Thy  left  in  Thy 
Kingdom."  She  did  not  think  this  unreasonable.  Some 
person  would  be  highest,  she  thought ;  and,  like  a  true 
mother,  she  asked  nothing  for  herself,  although  she  believed 
Jesus  would  soon  sit  upon  King  Herod's  royal  throne  of 
ivory  and  gold.  Jesus  was  not  angry.  He  knew  that  her 
mother's  heart  meant  well,  although  it  grieved  Him  to  see 


3l8  WHO    SHALL    BE    GREATEST. 

how  these  disciples  had  misunderstood  all  His  teaching  about 
His  Kingdom  of  Heaven  among  men. 

"  You  do  not  know  what  you  ask,"  He  replied  gently. 
And  turning  to  James  and  John,  He  added,  "  Are  you  able 
to  bear  what  I  am  about  to  bear?  " 

"  We  are  able,"  they  replied,  although  they  did  not  know 
what  He  meant,  and  Jesus  pitied  their  foolish  bravery.  He 
knew  they  would  be  true  to  Him ;  but  He  sent  them  away 
with  an  answer  the  reverse  of  what  they  hoped  for. 

"You  shall  indeed  share  My  sufferings,"  He  said,  "  but  to 
sit  on  My  right  hand  and  on  My  left,  is  not  Mine  to  give  you  ; 
but  it  shall  be  given  to  them  for  whom  it  hath  been  prepared 
by  God."  And  indeed  these  two  young  men  did  suffer  for 
Jesus,  for  James  was  killed  in  Jerusalem,  and  John  was  ban- 
ished to  the  lonely  island  of  Patmos,  in  the  Mediterranean. 

Some  of  the  disciples  heard  about  what  had  been  asked, 
and  when  they  told  the  others,  they  all  spoke  very  angrily 
to  James  and  John,  for  they  thought  they  had  made  a 
shameful  attempt  to  get  the  chief  places  in  the  Great 
Kingdom  of  Jesus,  which  they  felt  more  certain  than  ever 
would  be  set  up  in  a  few  days.  Jesus  had  only  that  day 
told  them  that  He  was  walking  towards  death ;  and  yet 
they  were  again  quarrelling  over  the  old  dispute  as  to  who 
should  be  the  greatest  in  His  Kingdom,  and  on  this  last  sad 
journey  He  had  once  more  to  interfere  and  stop  their  quarrel. 
How  bitter  for  Him,  and  how  shameful  of  them,  after  all 
He  had  sai  \  to  them  !  and  calling  all  the  disciples  towards 
Him,  He  spoke  to  them  about  the  Romans,  but  only  to  point 
out  that  they  should  do  differently  from  them. 

"You  know,"  Jesus  said,  "that  the  princes  of  foreigners, 
rule  harshly  over  them,  and  that  their  great  men  oppress  the 
common  people.  But  it  shall  not  be  so  among  you  ;  for  who- 
ever would  be  great  among  you  should  be  as  a  servant,  and  who- 
ever would  be  first  among  you  should  be  the  slave  of  all." 
He  meant  that  humility  made  a  man  truly  great,  and  that  the 
poorest  servant  might  be  better  than  the  richest  master.  He 
reminded  them  also  of  His  own  beautiful  hfe  among  them, 


ZACCH^US    IN    THE    TREE.  319 

saying  that  He  had  come  to  serve  others  and  not  to  be 
served,  and  that  He  svould  die  for  all  men ;  and  then,  without 
even  once  naming  James  and  John  or  Salome,  He  turned, 
and  walked  on  towards  Jericho,  which  was  now  not  far  off. 
And  the  disciples  followed  Him  in  silence  and  in  wonder. 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  learn  from  this  not  to  be  proud, 
wishing  to  rule  with  power  over  others,  but  rather  to  be  quiet 
and  gentle,  willing  to  serve,  and  leading  them  by  thy  example  ; 
remembering  that  Jesus  called  Himself  not  king,  prince,  lord, 
or  even  ruler,  but,  servant. 

ZACCH^US    IN    THE    TREE. 

JERICHO,   THURSDAY,    MARCH,   A.D.    34. 

Weary  with  their  journey  in  the  burning  sun,  at  length 
Jesus  and  His  disciples  reached  the  grey  stone  walls  of 
Jericho,  with  its  towers  and  battlements  from  which  the  watch- 
men watched  the  houses  and  gardens  of  the  rich  Priests, 
Levites,  and  Tax-gatherers,  who  lived  there  within  easy  reach 
of  Jerusalem.  A  thicket  of  brown  tangled  thorns  grew  round 
the  foot  of  the  walls,  and  at  other  parts,  green  creepers 
climbed  almost  to  the  top  or  hung  over  from  the  inside,  and 
the  heads  of  the  green  feathery  palms  that  grew  in  the  streets 
of  the  town,  could  be  seen  spreading  above  the  roofs  of  the 
highest  houses,  for  it  was  a  city  of  palm  trees.  When  they 
came  to  the  low  stone  archway  of  the  city  gate,  what  with 
people  who  had  come  out  to  meet  them  and  those  who  had 
journeyed  up  with  them  there  was  quite  a  crowd,  filling  all 
the  narrow  paved  road.  The  news  had  gone  on  before,  that 
the  young  Prophet  of  Galilee  was  coming  to  the  town  on  His 
way  to  Jerusalem,  and  the  people  of  Jericho  were  curious 
to  see  Him,  and  pressed  close  round  about  Him.  Men 
have  often  wondered  what  Jesus  was  Hke.  He  was  tall,  strong, 
and  beautiful,  for  even  when  He  was  not  speaking,  men  and 
women  came  crowding  just  to  look  at  Him  as  He  walked 
along  the  road. 

Jericho  was  an  old  and  rich  town.     Not  only  was  it  in  the 


320  A    CROWD    IN    JERICHO. 

midst  of  the  richest  land  in  the  country,  but  it  was  on  the  main 
road  from  distant  places  to  the  great  city  of  Jerusalem,  and 
many  merchants  with  their  goods  passed  through  it,  and  all  had 
to  pay  a  toll  to  the  Romans  before  they  were  allowed  to  pass. 
The  toll-keepers  or  tax-gatherers,  as  thou  knowest,  were 
called  "  Publicans,"  and  in  Jericho  there  were  a  large  number 
of  them,  many  of  whom  were  rich,  for  they  used  to  cheat  and 
oppress  the  people,  and  were  heartily  hated  and  despised  in 
return,  for  collecting  the  taxes  of  the  Roman  conquerors. 

The  chief  and  richest  of  the  Jericho  tax-gatherers  was  a 
little  man  called  Zacchseus,  who  was  like  Matthew  of  Caper- 
naum, a  Jew,  and  was  much  hated  in  consequence.  Like 
many  httle  people  he  was  exceedingly  curious  to  see  sights, 
and  when  he  knew  that  Jesus  was  coming, — Jesus  of  whom 
he  had  heard  so  much,  and  whom  the  proud  Pharisees  called 
"the  friend  of  tax-gatherers," — he  had  a  strong  wish  to  see 
Him,  and  went  to  the  principal  street  up  which  Jesus  was  to 
come.  But  when  the  crowd  came,  packing  the  street  with 
people  taller  than  himself,  Zacchseus  was  pushed  aside,  none 
the  less  roughly  that  he  was  the  chief  tax-gatherer ;  and 
although  he  heard  that  Jesus  was  passing,  by  his  utmost 
efforts,  rising  on  tiptoe,  he  could  not  see  Him,  but  he  heard 
the  people  say  whither  He  was  going.  When  free  to  move, 
Zacchseus  started  off  and  ran  like  a  school  boy  by  side  ways, 
so  as  to  get  ahead  of  the  crowd  and  be  in  a  good  place  to 
see  Jesus  when  He  should  pass  again.  Now  there  were  trees 
growing  in  ;^he  streets  and  gardens  of  this  old  town,  and 
among  them  was  the  green  fig  tree  called  the  sycamore,  with 
a  short  rough  stem,  and  long  branches  spreading  low  down 
over  the  roadway,  thick  with  broad  green  leaves  ;  and  looking 
about  him  for  a  good  place  to  see  from,  Zacchseus,  with 
comical  boyishness  for  a  man  of  his  importance,  climbed 
nimbly  up  a  sycamore  tree,  and  seated  himself  upon  a  large 
branch,  whence,  partly  hidden  by  the  leaves,  he  had  an  open 
view. 

Soon  the  crowd  came  filling  the  street  and  pressing  round 
Jesus,  who  walked  among  His  disciples,  easily  recognised  by 


COME    DOWN    QUICKLY.  32 1 

His  white  tunic,  brown  hair,  and  beautiful  face.  Zacchaeus 
gazed  at  Him  as  He  approached,  and  felt  that  all  he  had 
heard  of  His  wonderful  appearance  fell  far  short  of  what  he 
now  saw,  and  he  was  filled  with  admiration  for  this  plainly 
dressed  young  Gahlean.  Holding  the  twigs  aside  with  eager 
hand,  the  dusky  countenance  and  twinkling  eyes  of  Zacchaeus 
looked  sharply  down  through  the  green  leaves  to  get  a  near 
and  full  view  of  Jesus'  face  as  He  passed  under ;  but,  to  his 
amazement,  Jesus  stopped  and  looked  up. 

"Zacchaeus,"  He  said,  "come  down  quickly,  for  to-day  I 
shall  stay  at  thy  house."  Jesus  knew  who  he  was,  and  Zac- 
chaeus rejoiced  that  He  should  speak  thus  to  him.  Since 
Jesus  had  asked  him  for  hospitality,  he  would  be  His  friend, 
and  open  his  fine  house  to  receive  Him ;  and  quickly  he 
chmbed  from  his  branch  and  slid  down  the  tree,  and  passing 
through  the  people,  greeted  Jesus  in  the  street,  and  after  the 
manner  of  the  time,  conducted  Him  by  the  shortest  way  to 
the  gate  of  the  gardens  which  surrounded  his  house.  And  as 
they  went,  Jesus  talked  with  the  little  tax-gatherer ;  but  there 
were  Pharisees  in  the  crowd,  who  when  they  saw  whither  He 
was  going,  said  with  a  sneer,  just  as  they  said  about  Matthew's 
supper — 

"  He  has  gone  to  live  with  a  bad  man."  And  they  would 
not  enter  even  the  courtyard  of  Zacchaeus's  house.  But  Zac- 
chaeus ordered  a  dinner  to  be  made  ready  for  Jesus  and  His 
friends,  and  saw  their  hot  feet  bathed  with  the  coolest  of 
water,  for  Jesus  had  won  his  heart.  He  also  asked  many  of 
his  own  friends  to  come  in  and  dine  with  Him. 

The  dinner  passed  pleasantly,  and  when  it  was  over  and  while 
the  guests  rested  on  rich  couches  taking  fruit  and  wine,  Jesus 
talked  much  to  them,  and  Zacchaeus,  listening,  felt  that  his  own 
life  was  not  what  he  now  wished  it  had  been.  He  thought  of 
his  successful  business  as  a  tax-gatherer,  in  which  he  had  often 
been  tempted  to  take  more  money  from  people  than  he  ought 
to  have  taken :  and  he  feared  that  he  had  been  harsh  and  un- 
just. But  he  wished  that  no  man  should  suffer  from  anything 
he  had  done ;  and,  standing  up,  he  openly  declared  his  firm 


32^  AT    ZACCH^US  S    HOUSE. 

belief  in  what  Jesus  taught,  that  the  news  of  it  might  be  car- 
ried through  the  city  and  country  as  a  notice  to  all  who  did 
business  with  him. 

"  See,  Lord  ! "  he  said,  addressing  Jesus,  "  one-half  of  all 
that  I  have,  I  now  give  to  the  poor;  and  if  I  have  taken 
anything  wrongly  from  any  man,  I  shall  give  him  back  four 
times  as  much."  How  generous  and  how  humble  has  this  little 
business  man  become  !  One-half  of  all  the  money  he  has  he 
gives  to  those  who  have  no  claim  upon  him,  excepting  that 
they  are  poor.  He  cannot  recollect  any  man  whom  he  has 
cheated,  but  if  there  should  be  one,  let  him  come  forward, 
and  he  will  pay  him  back  four  times  over.  Had  Zacchseus 
been  dishonest  in  his  past  life  he  would  not  have  dared  thus 
to  pretend  before  Jesus  with  an  "  if,"  that  he  had  cheated  no 
one ;  and  Jesus  was  pleased  with  him,  and  speaking  before 
them  all.  He  said — 

"  To-day  hath  salvation  come  to  this  house,  since  Zacchseus 
also  hath  become  a  son  of  Abraham.  I  came  to  seek  and  to 
save  the  wicked."  And  Zacchseus  did  not  give  up  his  busi- 
ness, but  went  back  to  his  tax-table  with  a  fresh  determination 
to  deal  justly  with  all  men. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  not  to  judge  any  one  harshly 
because  of  the  trade  he  may  be  in,  for  in  this  little  tax-gatherer 
Jesus  saw  a  good  heart  and  a  struggling  soul,  a  man  worthy 
of  His  friendship ;  and  do  thou  learn  these  lines  of  Robert 
Burns — 

'*  Who  made  the  heart,  'tis  He  alone 

Decidedly  can  try  us; 
He  knows  each  chord,  its  various  tone, 

Each  spring,  its  various  bias : 
Then,  at  the  balance,  let's  be  mute, 

We  never  can  adjust  it, — 
What's  done,  we  partly  may  compute, 

But  know  not  what's  resisted." 


THE    KINGS    SERVANTS.  323 

THE   KING'S   SERVANTS. 

JERICHO,   THURSDAY,    MARCH,   A.D.    34. 

After  dinner,  Jesus  talked  a  great  deal  with  those  who  were 
at  Zacchaeus's  house,  where  He  was  to  spend  the  night,  for  He 
was  now  within  an  easy  day's  walk  of  Jerusalem.  To-morrow 
He  would  sleep  at  Bethany,  and  two  days  thereafter  He  would 
ride  into  the  city  and  into  the  midst  of  His  enemies.  Looking 
round  upon  His  friends  at  the  table,  He  saw  from  their  faces 
that  they  confidently  expected  Him  to  be  declared  King  at 
the  coming  Passover  Festival,  King  of  that  Kingdom  of  cities, 
thrones,  armies,  and  power,  which  they  believed  would  come 
with  the  Christ,  and  that  they  would  all  share  in  His  success ; 
for  they  would  not  believe  that  He  would  die,  and  leave  them 
neither  poorer  nor  richer,  to  carry  on  His  teaching  and  spread 
His  true  Kingdom  of  Heaven  among  men.  And  Jesus  told 
them  another  story,  in  which  He  compared  His  coming  death 
to  a  king  who  went  away  for  a  time,  leaving  his  servants  be- 
hind to  work.  The  story  was  very  like  what  had  really  hap- 
pened with  Archelaus,  king  of  Judaea,  who  went  to  Rome  to 
beg  for  his  kingdom  from  the  Emperor  Caesar  and  whose 
subjects  sent  men  to  oppose  him ;  and  all  in  the  room  knew 
about  King  Archelaus. 

"A  nobleman,"  said  Jesus,  "was  going  into  a  far-off  country 
to  ask  the  kingdom  for  himself,  and  to  return,  and  he  called 
ten  of  his  servants,  and  lent  them  a  golden  pound  each, 
saying — 

"^ Trade  with  this  money  till  I  come  back.'  But  the  people 
of  the  country  hated  the  nobleman,  and  sent  messengers  after 
him  into  the  far-off  land  to  say — '  We  will  not  have  this  man 
to  be  king  over  us.'  But  he  got  the  kingdom,  and  when  he 
came  back  to  his  own  country,  he  ordered  the  servants  to 
whom  he  had  lent  the  money,  to  come  before  him,  that  he 
might  know  what  they  had  made  by  trading  with  it.  And  the 
first  servant  who  came  said — 

"  *  Lord,  with  thy  pound,  I  have  made  ten  pounds  more.* 


324  WELL    DONE,    GOOD    SERVANT. 

"  *  Well  done,  thou  good  servant ! '  replied  the  king,  '  be- 
cause thou  hast  been  so  faithful  with  a  very  little,  thou  shalt 
rule  over  ten  cities  in  my  kingdom.' 

" '  With  thy  pound.  Lord,  I  have  made  five  pounds,'  said 
the  second  servant. 

"  '  Be  thou  also  a  ruler  over  five  of  my  cities,'  said  the  king 
to  him.     But  when  the  third  servant  came  he  said — 

" '  See,  lord  !  here  is  thy  pound,  which  I  have  kept  rolled 
up  in  a  cloth,'  unrolling  it  as  he  spoke,  '  for  I  was  afraid  of 
thee,  because  thou  art  an  hard  man ;  thou  takest  up  that 
which  thou  didst  not  put  down,  and  reapest  that  which  thou 
didst  not  sow.'  And  the  king  was  angry  with  this  impudent 
servant. 

" '  I  will  judge  thee  by  thy  own  words,  thou  wicked  servant ! ' 
he  exclaimed.  '  Thou  hast  said  thou  knewest  that  I  am  an 
hard  man,  taking  up  what  I  did  not  put  down,  and  reaping 
what  I  did  not  sow ;  why,  then,  didst  thou  not  put  my  money 
into  the  bank,  that  on  my  return  I  might  have  received  it  back 
with  interest  ? '  The  servant  could  not  answer  him,  and  turn- 
ing to  those  who  stood  by,  the  king  said,  'Take  the  pound 
away  from  him,  and  give  it  to  the  servant  that  hath  ten  pounds.' 
And  they  who  stood  by  exclaimed — 

" '  Lord,  he  hath  already  got  ten  pounds  ! '  But  the  king 
replied — 

" '  I  say,  that  to  every  one  that  hath  made  much,  shall  more 
be  given,  but  from  him  that  hath  not  made  anything,  even  the 
pound  which  he  hath  shall  be  taken  away  from  him.  And 
bring  out  n.fhe  enemies,  the  men  who  would  not  have  me  to 
be  king  over  them ;  bring  them  hither,  and  slay  them  before 
me.'  " 

And  thus  Jesus  ended  the  story,  and  those  who  were  listen- 
ing remembered,  as  they  thought  over  it,  how  King  Archelaus, 
about  thirty  years  before,  had  slain  and  punished  all  the  people 
who  had  opposed  his  being  king  of  Jerusalem.  But  the  true 
meaning  of  the  story  is  this.  All  that  Jesus  had  taught  His 
twelve  disciples  in  the  last  three  years  was  like  money  lent  to 
them,  and  they  were  to  use  what  they  had  learned,  in  teaching  and 


SERVING    JESUS.  325 

spreading  His  Kingdom  among  men  after  He  was  dead,  and 
some  day  they  would  be  asked  what  good  they  had  done  with 
all  that  they  had  learned  from  Him.  But  the  disciples  did  not 
understand  the  story  in  that  way.  They  had  begun  by  refusing 
to  believe  that  Jesus  would  ever  die,  and  starting  with  this  error, 
they  read  everything  wrongly.  They  could  think  of  nothing 
but  a  great  earthly  kingdom — honours,  armies,  thrones,  cities, 
riches,  war,  conquests,  and  this  crowded  common  sense  from 
their  minds. 

Jesus  spent  the  night  in  Zacchseus's  house  ;  and  early  in  the 
morning  the  whole  town  was  astir  with  people  who  had  come 
in  to  sleep  within  its  sheltering  walls,  preparing  to  start  as 
soon  as  it  was  light  on  the  long  hot  walk  of  about  fifteen  miles 
up  to  Jerusalem.  They  were  saddling  their  camels  and  asses, 
and  forming  into  bands  to  march  up  the  steep  and  dangerous 
ravine  among  the  rocky  hills,  for  this  was  the  favourite  time  of 
year  for  robbers  to  rush  out  on  people  who  were  travelling 
alone.  The  beggars  too  were  busy,  and  were  out  earliest  of 
all,  to  sit  at  the  gates  of  the  city  and  beg  from  all  who  went 
out  and  in,  and  by  the  roadside  also,  with  loud  cries,  they 
begged  the  passing  strangers  to  remember  them. 

But  what  has  been  lent  thee,  my  child  ?  Let  us  count  up. 
A  loving  heart,  a  quick  mind,  a  clever  tongue,  a  strong  body, 
willing  feet,  a  glad  face  and  bright  eyes.  Surely  these  are  as 
good  as  pounds  of  gold  !  What  wilt  thou  do  with  them  ? 
With  thy  kind  heart  thou  wilt  love  Jesus,  with  thy  quick  mind 
thou  wilt  think  about  God,  with  thy  clever  tongue,  speak  of 
Him,  with  thy  strong  body  serve  Him,  running  His  messages 
with  willing  feet,  and  day  by  day  thou  wilt  find  this  service 
more  and  more  joyful. 

God  intrusts  to  all, 

Talents  few  or  many, 
None  so  young  and  small 

That  they  have  not  any. 


o 


26  BLIND    BARTIM^US,    THE    BEGGAR. 


BLIND   BARTIMiEUS,   THE    BEGGAR. 

JERICHO,   FRIDAY,   MARCH,   A.D.    34. 

The  news  of  what  Zacchaeus  had  said  at  the  dinner  in  his 
house  the  night  before,  that  he  beHeved  in  Jesus  and  His 
teaching,  spread  among  the  people,  and  when  the  time  came  for 
Jesus  and  His  disciples  to  leave  Jericho,  there  were  a  great 
many  people  wishing  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem  in  His  company. 
And  when  in  the  bright  sunlight  of  early  morning,  He  left 
Zacchseus's  house  and  walked  through  the  tree-shaded  streets, 
the  people  looked  at  Him  from  the  doors  and  windows  of 
their  houses,  in  even  greater  numbers  than  they  had  done 
yesterday,  and  when  He  reached  the  stone  archway  of  the 
city  gate,  there  was  a  large  crowd  following  Him.  Now  there 
were  two  blind  beggars  sitting  by  the  roadside  near  the  gate, 
blind  Bartimaeus  and  his  companion,  for  blind  beggars  often 
went  in  pairs,  holding  by  each  other  as  they  walked  along. 
With  their  quick  ears  they  heard  from  the  sound  of  feet  and 
voices  that  there  was  an  unusual  crowd  coming  out  of  the 
town  this  morning,  and  knowing  that  it  was  the  time  for  the 
people  to  go  up  to  the  Festival  at  Jerusalem,  they  shouted 
loudly  for  gifts.  But  Bartimaeus  became  convinced  from 
what  he  heard  that  there  was  something  more  than  a  crowd, 
and  he  shouted  questions  to  those  who  were  passing,  asking 
what  it  all  meant. 

"Jesus  of  Nazareth  passeth  by,"  some  one  answered  from 
the  crowci.  "  Jesus  of  Nazareth  ! "  thought  Bartimaeus. 
"  Was  it  not  He  who  healed  the  blind  man  at  Jerusalem  on 
the  Sabbath  and  so  enraged  the  priests,  and  is  He  not 
called  the  Friend  of  the  poor  and  the  bhnd?"  Now  seemed 
to  be  a  chance  to  recover  his  sight — now  or  never  !  and  he 
began  to  cry  constantly,  and  stirred  up  his  companion  to  cry 
also,  as  loudly  as  they  could — 

"  Jesus,  thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  us  ! "  was 
what  they  cried.  "Jesus,  thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy 
on  us  !"     Now  Jesus  had  not  yet  come  to  the  place  where 


JESUS    CALLETH    THEE.  327 

the  two  beggars  sat  in  the  sunshine,  with  their  rags  and  staffs, 
and  their  white  eyes  looking  upward,  but  seeing  nothing ; 
and  the  people  who  came  before  Him  rebuked  them  for 
making  so  much  noise,  and  told  them  to  be  quiet.  But 
Bartimaeus  thought  it  was  all  very  well  for  them  to  say  that, 
but  they  had  never  been  bhnd ;  and  he  shouted  louder  than 
ever — 

"Jesus,  thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  us  !  " 

When  Jesus  came  near,  He  heard  the  cries  of  Bartimaeus 
and  his  friend,  shouting  now  turn  about  and  now  both  to- 
gether; and  He  stopped. 

"  Bring  him  to  Me,"  He  said.  And  they  went  over  to  the 
blind  men,  who  were  shouting  still. 

"  Be  glad  !  rise ;  Jesus  calleth  thee  ! "  they  said  to  them. 
Then  Bartimaeus,  casting  away  his  beggar 's-cloak  for  joy, 
sprang  to  his  feet,  and  pushed  his  way  through  the  crowd 
followed  by  his  friend,  until  they  both  stood  in  the  middle 
of  the  roadway  before  the  young  Countryman,  trembling 
with  earnest  expectation  although  they  could  not  see 
Him. 

"  What  dost  thou  wish  that  I  should  do  to  thee  ?  "  a  gentle 
voice  asked,  while  the  crowd  seemed  hushed  around  them. 

"  Lord,  that  our  eyes  may  be  opened,  that  we  may  see," 
exclaimed  Bartimaeus  earnestly,  speaking  for  them  both. 
Their  eager  faces  told  how  sure  they  were  that  Jesus  would 
do  it,  and  He  pitied  the  poor  men. 

"Receive  thy  sight,"  Jesus  said;  "thy  faith  hath  healed 
thee."  And  as  He  spoke,  they  felt  His  hand  touching  first 
the  eyes  of  one  man  and  then  the  other.  They  had  never 
felt  so  gentle  a  touch,  and  at  once  they  could  see ;  and 
the  first  thing  they  saw  was  a  beautiful  face,  whose  dark 
eyes  seemed  to  look  into  their  very  souls.  Jesus  moved 
on,  and  the  crowd  went  with  Him  ;  but  the  beggars  would 
not  be  left  behind,  and  followed  in  the  crowd,  praising 
God  for  what  Jesus  had  done  for  them.  And  the  people 
praised  God  also,  for  they  believed  that  God  was  with 
Jesus. 


328  ANOTHER    PASSOVER    FESTIVAL. 

This  is  the  last  special  act  of  healing  which  we  are 
told  that  Jesus  did,  for  the  threads  of  His  life  are  now 
drawing  to  a  close.  His  teaching  in  Galilee,  in  Judaea,  in 
Samaria,  in  the  Peraea  is  over,  and  His  special  acts  of 
wonder-working,  which  began  in  the  village  of  Cana,  end 
now  at  the  gates  of  Jericho  in  healing  two  blind  beggars ; 
for,  great  as  His  power  was,  it  was  never  used  to  punish 
people  or  in  acts  of  display,  but  only  in  kind  and  lowly  deeds, 
of  which  it  was  His  strong  wish  that  no  one  should  speak. 

Jerusalem  was  again  in  a  stir  with  preparations  for  another 
great  Passover  Festival.  Although  it  would  not  begin  for 
a  week  yet,  many  people  had  arrived  in  the  town  who  re- 
quired to  come  early  to  prepare  themselves,  and  the  streets 
were  busy  with  shopkeepers  bringing  their  wares  to  sell 
to  the  crowds  who  would  be  there ;  and  every  day  fresh 
bands  of  people,  from  distant  towns  and  villages,  came 
marching  over  Olivet,  singing  joyful  psalms  and  waving 
green  branches  when  the  splendid  city  came  in  sight.  And 
the  Temple  began  to  be  filled  with  people  waiting  to  see 
the  priests,  and  get  leave  from  them  to  attend  the  Festival ; 
and  many  persons  who  came  from  Galilee  expected  to  find 
Jesus  there,  for  He  had  not  been  in  Galilee  for  months. 
But  they  were  told  that  He  had  had  to  fly  across  the  Jordan 
to  the  Persea,  and  that  the  council  of  priests  had  issued  a 
notice  to  the  people,  some  weeks  before,  that  if  any  person 
knew  where  Jesus  was,  they  were  to  tell  them,  and  they 
would  ha"j  Him  taken  a  prisoner  at  once  ;  which  was  like 
offering  a  price  to  His  friends  to  betray  Him,  for  it  was  a 
great  matter  to  be  in  favour  with  the  priests,  who  thus  hoped 
to  keep  Him  away  from  this  Festival.  In  view  of  this, 
the  common  talk  among  the  gossips  who  stood  talking  in 
the  Temple  was — 

"What  do  you  think?     Will  He  come  to  this  Festival?" 
They  wished  to  hear  Him  again,  and  some  said  "  Yes,"  and 
some  said  "  No  ;  "  but  no  one  could  tell. 

But  while  they  talked,  Jesus  was  on  His  way  up  from 
Jericho,  walking  in  front  of  His  friends  up  the  hot  and  stifling 


IN    BETHANY    AGAIN.  329 

road  among  the  hills,  a  climb  which  is  usually  done  riding ; 
but  He  had  no  horse,  and  had  to  be  in  Bethany  before 
it  was  dark.  After  about  six  hours'  hard  cUmbing,  He  reached 
the  green  Mount  of  Olives  with  His  friends,  and  before 
three  o'clock  of  that  afternoon  they  were  in  the  little  tree- 
shaded  village  of  Bethany  again,  for  He  had  come  to  stay 
in  the  cottage  of  His  friend  Lazarus — the  last  house  in  which 
He  would  live.  The  disciples  also  found  lodgings  in  the 
village,  but  most  of  His  friends  from  Galilee  went  further  on, 
some  into  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  some  to  put  up  their  white 
tents  and  build  their  mat  huts  on  the  hillside  near  the 
walls ;  and  they  carried  the  news  into  the  city,  and  told  it  to 
the  crowds  in  the  Temple,  that  He  had  come,  and  was  living 
at  Bethany  with  Lazarus. 

Jesus  had  now  entered  upon  the  last  week  of  His  life.  The 
following  day  (Saturday)  was  the  Jewish  Sabbath,  which  He 
spent  quietly  in  Bethany,  but  His  friends  in  Jerusalem  came 
out  in  numbers  to  see  Him  and  also  to  see  Lazarus,  for  it  was 
a  favourite  walk  of  the  people  of  the  city  through  the  groves 
and  flower  gardens  of  Olivet  and  on  to  Bethany,  by  the  three 
paths  which  led  over  the  hill.  When  the  priests  heard  of  His 
return,  they  met  and  consulted  together.  They  thought  their 
pubHc  warning  would  have  kept  Him  away.  But  He  and 
Lazarus  were  together  again,  and  the  people  were  already 
going  out  in  numbers  to  see  them.  What  were  they  to  do  ? 
for  it  had  become  a  common  thing  for  people  who  went 
out  to  Bethany  and  saw  Lazarus,  to  come  back  believers  in 
Jesus. 

"Put  them  both  to  death,"  said  a  priest.  And  without 
more  ado  this  small  meeting  resolved  that  it  would  be  best  for 
everybody  to  have  Lazarus  again  in  his  grave  ;  and  they  went 
away  satisfied  with  their  wisdom. 

Having  made  up  their  minds  to  kill  Jesus,  how  easy  it 
seemed  to  them  to  resolve  to  kill  Lazarus  also,  or  to  kill  even 
more,  if  necessary,  to  get  Jesus  out  of  their  way  !  It  is  a 
terrible  thing  when  violence  and  cruelty  take  possession  of  the 
mind,  for  they  know  no  limit. 


330  HE    RIDES    INTO    JERUSALEM. 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  beware  of  the  first  blow.  It  is 
the  first  blow  which  shatters  the  fair  mirror  of  peace ;  the 
second  breaks  only  a  fragment ;  and  the  third,  fourth,  fifth, 
will  follow  without  thought  or  feeling.  Stay  thy  hand  at 
the  first  thought  of  hurting  another,  for  then  thou  canst  easily 
do  it. 


HE    RIDES    INTO    JERUSALEM. 

JERUSALEM,  SABBATH,  APRIL,  A.D.  34. 

Early  in  the  morning  the  people  were  out  in  Bethany,  for 
Jesus  had  said  that  He  would  that  day  go  up  again  to  the 
Golden  Temple  with  His  disciples.  At  other  Festival  times 
He  had  gone  quietly,  but  this  time  He  would  allow  any  one 
who  wished,  to  come  with  Him ;  nor  did  He  start  early  ii;  the 
morning  as  usual,  but  waited  until  the  cool  of  the  afternoon. 
And  during  all  that  day  His  friends  spread  the  news  among 
the  Galileans  who  were  in  Jerusalem  and  camped  on  the 
green  slopes  of  Olivet,  that  Jesus  was  coming  to  the  Temple 
in  the  afternoon,  notwithstanding  that  the  council  had  said 
they  would  take  Him  a  prisoner. 

With  a  blue  April  sky  overhead  and  sunshine  flickering  on 
the  leaves  of  the  date  palms,  Jesus,  with  His  disciples  and  a 
number  of  friends,  left  Bethany  walking,  and  as  they  went  up 
the  hillside  from  the  village  to  the  main  road  over  Olivet  they 
were  joined  by  more  friends  ;  but  when  they  came  near  to  the 
village  of  Fsthphage,  Jesus  decided  that  He  would  ride  into 
Jerusalem,  and  said  to  two  of  His  disciples — 

"  Go  to  the  village  over  yonder,  and  as  you  enter  it  you  will 
find  an  ass  tied,  and  a  colt  with  her,  on  which  no  man  has  yet 
sat ;  loose  them  and  bring  them  to  me.  And  if  any  one  shall 
ask  you  why  you  do  so,  say  that  the  Lord  requireth  the  colt, 
and  the  man  will  send  him  at  once."  And  He  waited  there 
until  the  two  disciples  should  return,  and  while  He  waited, 
people  who  were  going  in  numbers  by  this  road  to  the 
Festival,  gathered  round  Him  ;  and  His  friends  went  and  cut 
down  branches  of  the  broad  feathery  palm,  to  wave  in  the  air. 


WAVING    GREEN    BRANCHES.  33 1 

And  soon  the  disciples  returned  leading  the  colt,  for  when 
they  went  to  Bethphage  they  found  everything  as  Jesus  had 
said.  The  man  was  friendly  to  Jesus,  and  when  he  heard  that 
He  was  going  into  Jerusalem,  he  gladly  lent  his  young  ass 
for  Him  to  ride  on. 

Having  no  saddle,  a  disciple  cast  his  rough  blue  cloak  over 
the  colt's  back  to  do  for  one.  Thou  mayest  wonder  that 
Jesus  should  ride  upon  an  ass,  but  a  white  ass  was  the 
favourite  animal  for  prophets  and  even  kings  to  ride  on  in 
that  country  ;  horses  were  used  by  fighting- men  ;  and  Jesus  was 
the  Prince  of  Peace.  And  when  He  mounted  the  young  ass, 
His  friends  shouted  and  rejoiced,  believing  that  His  triumph 
was  near,  and  when  He  rode  on,  some  ran  before  Him  and 
spread  their  great  outer  cloaks — blue,  yellow,  brown — upon 
the  dusty  road,  that  He  might  ride  over  them,  while  others 
laid  their  broad  green  branches  on  the  way,  a  common 
thing  for  people  to  do  before  a  king ;  and  the  villagers  of 
Bethphage  came  out  to  look  at  Jesus  as  He  rode  away.  The 
beginning  of  the  ride  was  a  gentle  rise,  the  path  winding  South- 
wards to  the  shoulder  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  the  fields  on 
each  side  were  green  with  spring  grass  and  bright  with  wild 
flowers,  while  the  trees  grew  in  thick  clusters  not  far  from  the 
road.  As  they  went  up,  the  crowd  grew  larger,  each  person 
getting  a  green  palm  branch  to  wave,  a  thing  which  the  people 
were  accustomed  to  do  when  joyfully  marching  over  that  hill 
to  Festivals  in  Jerusalem,  and  the  hot  and  dusty  road  was  at 
times  green  as  a  pathway  through  the  woods,  when  with  shouts 
of  rejoicing,  the  people  pressed  forward  and  threw  down  their 
green  branches  in  front  of  the  ass.  Every  time  the  people 
shouted  loudly  the  delighted  disciples  again  spread  their 
cloaks  upon  the  ground,  that  Jesus  might  ride  over  them, 
and  children  climbed  the  trees  in  the  fields  and  brought 
more  branches,  and  ran  out  and  in  among  the  people  re- 
joicing with  the  rest. 

The  friends  of  Jesus  in  Jerusalem  and  among  the  GaHleans 
in  their  tents  outside  the  city  walls,  had  determined  to  go  out 
to  meet  Him  with  shouts  and  waving  branches,  as  bands  of 


332 


BLESSED    IS    HE. 


people  from  the  country  were  often  met  on  Olivet  as  they 
came  to  Festivals ;  and  cutting  down  broad  palm  branches, 
they  went  up  the  path  on  the  Jerusalem  side  of  the  Mount 
to  meet  Him  near  the  top.  When  Jesus  and  His  friends 
reached  the  shoulder  of  the  hill,  they  saw  the  people  from 
Jerusalem  coming  up  the  other  side,  who  welcomed  Him 
with  shouts  and  waving  branches,  which  were  answered  by 
His  rejoicing  friends.  He  had  now  come  to  the  top  of  the 
hill,  and  was  about  to  go  down  through  olive  groves  and  rose 
gardens,  down  the  winding  stony  path  to  the  bridge  across 
the  brook  Kedron.  Full  before  Him  was  the  splendid  city, 
with  its  watch-towers  on  the  walls,  its  gardens  and  palaces  on 
Mount  Zion,  its  Temple  on  Mount  Moriah,  with  its  walls,  pil- 
lars, and  cloisters  of  white  marble,  its  roof  of  bright  gold  as  if 
on  fire,  and  with  sunshine  upon  its  pinnacles,  spires,  and  gates 
of  gold  and  burnished  brass ;  over  all,  spread  the  blue  cloud- 
less sky,  and  beyond,  were  the  bare  purple  and  red  hills  of 
Judaea,  fading  in  a  haze  of  distance.  It  was  a  sight  which  no 
Jew  could  see  without  emotion,  a  sight  which  made  the 
Festival  bands  shout  and  sing  for  joy  when  they  beheld  it,  and 
when  the  disciples  saw  it  at  this  time,  with  loud  voices  they 
began  to  rejoice  and  praise  God  for  all  Jesus  had  done,  singing 
loudly — 

"  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  King  David  !  Blessed  is  the  King 
that  Cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  !  Peace  in  Heaven, 
and  glory  in  the  highest !  "  part  of  which  was  from  the  ii8th 
Psalm,  which  was  a  favourite  song  of  the  people  at  Festival 
times,  unti  *the  whole  crowd  sang,  and  those  who  came  up 
from  Jerusalem  also  took  up  the  song  and  sang  it  as  the 
two  crowds  met  with  waving  palms  and  great  rejoicing.  But 
amid  it  all  Jesus  sat  silent,  going  slowly  forward  at  the  pace 
of  the  crowd.  At  any  other  time  He  would  have  told  them 
to  be  quiet,  but  not  now.  He  let  them  sing  on.  Mingling 
with  those  who  had  come  out  from  Jerusalem  to  meet  Him 
were  the  usual  watchful  Pharisees,  friends  of  the  priests,  and 
they  were  angry  when  they  saw  the  joy  of  the  people,  and 
heard  them  calling  Jesus  a  King,  and  forcing  their  way  near 


HADST    THOU    BUT    KNOWN.  ;^^^ 

enough  Him  to  be  heard  above  the  singing,  with  threatening 
gestures  they  screamed,  pointing  at  the  disciples — 

*<  Teacher,  stop  Thy  disciples  !  Teacher,  stop  Thy  dis- 
ciples ! "  continuing  to  shout,  until  turning  calmly  to  them, 
He  said — 

"I  tell  you  if  these  men  were  to  cease,  the  very  stones 
would  cry  out,"  a  common  proverb  of  the  country,  meaning 
that  it  was  a  time  when  joy  should  not  be  restrained.  And 
on  hearing  this  the  disciples  shouted  louder  than  ever.  And 
when  they  passed  the  tents  and  huts  of  the  people  from 
Galilee  who  were  camped  on  the  sunny  Western  side,  they 
also  waved  branches  and  shouted,  for  they  were  glad  to  see 
Jesus  going  again  to  the  Temple,  and  many  of  them  came  and 
joined  the  crowd  on  the  road.  But  as  He  rode  on,  looking 
over  at  the  great  city  spread  out  on  the  other  side  of  the 
narrow  valley.  He  was  thinking,  not  of  the  shouts  around 
Him,  but  of  the  future  of  the  city  which  might  have  been  so 
truly  great ;  for  He  seemed  to  see  it  surrounded  with  soldiers, 
who  were  battering  down  its  walls,  and  pouring  in  through 
the  openings  sword  in  hand  with  waving  flags  and  shining 
armour,  to  slay  men,  women,  and  children  in  thousands, 
while  the  Temple  itself  seemed  to  burst  into  flames ;  and  His 
eyes  filled  with  tears,  and  stopping.  He  exclaimed  with  deep 
emotion — 

"  O  Jerusalem  !  hadst  thou  but  known  this  day  the  things 
which  belong  to  peace  !  For  the  day  will  come  when  thine 
enemies  will  throw  up  banks  about  thee,  and  surround  thee 
with  soldiers,  and  press  thee  in  on  every  side  and  shall  dash 
thee  to  the  ground,  and  thy  children  with  thee ;  and  they 
shaU  not  leave  in  thee  one  stone  standing  upon  another, 
because  thou  knewest  not  the  time  when  thou  wert  visited." 
Within  fifty  years  Jerusalem  was  taken  and  the  Temple  burned 
by  Titus,  the  Roman  general ; — but  the  people  who  were  with 
Jesus  thought  He  need  not  weep  when  they  were  all  rejoicing. 
And  He  rode  on  again,  down  the  steep  path  into  the  Kedron 
Valley,  passing  through  the  city  gardens,  and  near  to  the 
Garden  of  Gethsemane  which  He  loved,  while  the  people 


334  WHO    IS    THIS  ? 

kept  scattering  olive,  fig,  walnut,  and  palm  branches  on  the 
road,  as  they  continued  to  sing — 

"  Hosanna  !  Blessed  is  He  that  cometh  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  !  Blessed  is  the  kingdom  which  cometh  of  our 
father,  King  David.  Hosanna  in  the  highest !  "  And  sweetest 
of  all  in  that  psalm  were  the  voices  of  little  children  running 
and  shouting  what  they  heard  the  others  saying.  And  now 
numbers  of  the  people  ran  on  before  Jesus,  across  the  narrow 
bridge  over  the  Kedron,  and  into  the  city  by  the  St.  Stephen's 
gate,  and  up  the  narrow  street  that  led  to  the  Temple,  shout- 
ing as  they  went,  that  a  Prophet  was  coming.  The  city  was 
very  full  of  people  who  had  come  for  the  Festival,  and  soon  the 
roofs  and  windows  of  the  houses  were  covered  with  on-lookers, 
for  the  whole  city  was  roused,  and  this  was  its  busiest  part. 
And  when  at  length  Jesus  came  riding  upon  an  ass  up  the 
Temple  street,  they  saw  a  tall,  beautiful  young  Man,  with 
dark  eyes,  and  a  sad  face,  dressed  in  the  white  tunic  and 
coarse  blue  cloak  of  a  Countryman  of  Galilee,  who  sat  calm, 
amid  all  the  stir  and  noise  and  danger  around  Him ;  and 
those  who  had  not  seen  Him  before  were  struck  with  wonder, 
exclaiming — 

"  Who  is  this?  "  and  Galilean  voices  in  the  crowd  answered 
as  they  pressed  up  the  narrow  way — 

"This  is  Jesus,  the  prophet  from  Nazareth,  of  Galilee." 
And  the  Pharisees,  when  they  saw  the  crowds  that  had  come 
to  welcome  Him,  turned  upon  each  other  in  dismay  and  vexa- 
tion, exclai-^^ing,  as  they  upbraided  one  another — 

"  See  how  you  have  no  power  !  All  the  world  hath  gone 
after  Him."  This  was  what  had  come  of  their  threats  and 
proclamations  against  Jesus — only  greater  popularity. 

Onward  still  the  people  pressed,  up  the  winding,  steep, 
and  narrow  streets,  until  they  reached  the  white  steps  of  the 
Temple,  and  while  some  went  inside  to  see  what  would 
happen  there,  others  waited  to  watch  Jesus  dismount. 
Leaving  the  little  ass.  He  went  up  the  great  steps  with  His 
disciples,  and  taking  off  His  sandals,  passed  through  the 
Temple  gate  and  into  the  first  porch  and  through  among  the 


CHILDREN    SHOUTING    IN    THE    TEMPLE.        335 

tall  marble  pillars,  standing  once  more  within  the  place  whence 
He  had  had  to  fly  only  a  few  months  before,  amid  threats  of 
"  Stone  Him  !  "  but  now  His  friends  shouted  "  Hosanna  !  " 
"  Hosanna  !  "  until  the  Temple  arches  rang  again.  From  the 
outer  porch  He  went  first  into  the  open  court,  with  sunshine 
on  its  coloured  pavement,  and  thence  through  the  upper 
courts,  looking  round  Him,  and  saw  that  the  buyers  and 
sellers  with  their  animals  and  goods,  were  trespassing  again. 
Still  He  said  nothing ;  but  having  gone  into  every  part.  He 
returned  to  His  friends,  and  with  His  disciples,  walked  out  of 
the  Temple  and  out  of  the  city  back  again  over  the  hill  to 
Bethany  as  the  sun  was  setting,  for  it  was  toward  evening. 
And  though  the  priests  had  resolved  to  take  Him  a  prisoner, 
they  were  so  surprised  with  the  love  of  the  common  people 
for  Him,  and  the  number  of  His  friends,  that  they  feared  to 
touch  Him  that  day  lest  there  should  be  a  fight  with  the 
quick-tempered  Galileans  who  had  come  to  the  Festival. 

Remember  as  the  greatest  thing  in  this  day,  that  Jesus  rode 
into  Jerusalem  upon  an  ass,  dressed  in  a  plain  white  tunic,  as 
the  Messenger  of  Peace ;  for  thou  wilt  read  of  many  proces- 
sions of  kings,  with  soldiers,  banners,  drums,  cannon,  and 
cheering,  but  this  ride  of  Jesus,  amid  gentle  songs  and  waving 
branches,  is  more  glorious  than  them  all ;  for  while  they  ride 
as  kings  of  armies  and  of  power.  He  rode  as  a  Prince,  who 
would  not  fight,  and  whose  command  is  love. 


CHILDREN   SHOUTING   IN   THE   TEMPLE. 

JERUSALEM,   MONDAY,   APRIL,  A.D.  34. 

Every  morning  after  this,  the  rising  sun  found  Jesus  and 
His  disciples  walking  over  the  Mount  of  Olives  to  teach  in 
the  Temple,  and  every  evening  they  returned  at  sundown  by 
the  same  hill  path,  to  sleep  in  Bethany.  On  Monday  morning, 
as  they  walked  towards  Jerusalem,  Jesus  was  hungry,  and  they 
had  nothing  to  eat,  and  looking  about  them  for  trees  with 
fruit,  they  saw  by  the  roadside  at  some  distance,  a  fig  tree 


33^  THE    WITHERED    FIG    TREE. 

with  branches  thickly  covered  with  broad  green  leaves; 
and  although  it  was  not  yet  time  for  that  year's  figs,  it  was 
just  the  kind  of  tree  on  which  to  find  some  of  last  year's  fruit 
still  hanging  under  the  leaves.  The  disciples  knew  well  the 
tree  on  which  to  look  for  such  figs,  but  when  they  came  to 
it  and  had  shaken  some  of  the  branches,  although  there  were 
plenty  of  strong  leaves,  they  did  not  find  any  fruit.  And 
Jesus  said — 

"  Let  no  fruit  grow  on  thee  for  ever."  The  tree  withered, 
though  not  at  once,  and  the  disciples  asked  each  other — 

"  How  did  the  fig  tree  wither  away  ?  "  And  Peter  spoke  to 
Jesus  about  it,  and  His  reply  was  a  rebuke  to  them  all,  for 
they  had  begun  to  doubt. 

"Trust  in  God,"  He  said,  adding  the  words  that  He  had 
used  in  the  Persea,  when  they  asked  for  more  faith.  "  If  you 
have  faith,  and  do  not  doubt,  you  shall  not  only  do  what 
hath  been  done  to  the  fig  tree,  but  if  you  tell  this  mountain 
on  which  we  stand,  to  be  taken  up  and  cast  into  the  sea,  and 
do  not  doubt  in  your  hearts,  but  believe,  it  shall  be  done."  I 
have  told  thee  before  that  when  Jesus  spoke  of  moving  moun- 
tains. He  was  only  using  a  common  expression  of  the  time, 
meaning  to  do  great  things ;  but  He  certainly  did  mean  that 
these  men  would  receive  power  of  a  kind  greater  than  we  can 
ever  receive.  And  Jesus  added,  to  strengthen  their  trust  still 
more — 

"  I  say  that  whatever  things  you  shall  ask  in  prayer,  believ- 
ing, you  sb^ll  receive.  And  when  you  pray,  remember  to  for- 
give any  ohe  who  may  have  injured  you,  that  God  may  also 
forgive  you  your  faults.  For  if  you  do  not  forgive  others,  God 
will  not  forgive  you''  Thus  repeating  to  them  a  little  bit  of  the 
beautiful  prayer  which  He  taught  them  near  the  Fords  of 
Jordan  a  few  months  before.  But  thou  must  not  think  that 
all  that  Jesus  said  to  His  disciples  is  meant  for  thee,  especially 
His  promises  of  wonderful  power  to  them ;  for  they  had  a 
work  to  do  which  thou  wilt  never  have,  and  they  were  pro- 
mised and  did  receive  power  which  thou  must  not  expect  to 
get.     Thou  wilt  hear  it  said  that  Jesus  destroyed  the  fig  tree 


CLEARING    THE    TEMPLE    AGAIN.  2>Z7 

as  a  punishment ;  but  it  is  not  right  to  say  so  of  one  so  gentle 
as  He. 

Four  years  ago,  at  this  very  Passover  Festival,  Jesus  had 
cleared  all  the  sellers  of  cattle  and  sheep,  and  other  dealers 
and  money-changers  out  of  the  Golden  Temple ;  and  when 
there  yesterday,  He  noticed  that  they  were  all  back  again. 
For  some  time  they  had  kept  away,  but  gradually,  as  the  time 
passed,  first  one  and  then  another  dealer  had  got  in,  until  at 
this  Festival  there  were  as  many  there  as  ever.  And  when 
Jesus  and  His  disciples  reached  the  Temple  on  this  Monday 
morning.  He  found  them  there,  filling  the  beautiful  outer 
Court  of  the  Gentiles  with  disorder  and  noise — lowing  cattle, 
pens  of  bleating  lambs,  men  calling  upon  the  strangers  to 
come  and  buy — more  like  a  market  than  a  Temple,  while  in 
shelter  of  the  porches  the  money-changers  had  set  up  their 
tables,  and  sat  close  by  the  Teachers  of  the  law,  to  change 
foreign  coins,  and  cheat  the  strangers  if  they  could.  And 
people  who  had  not  come  to  worship,  but  wished  to  go  from 
one  part  of  the  city  to  the  other,  crossed  the  great  court  as  a 
short  way,  coming  in  by  one  Temple  gate,  and  going  out  by 
another. 

And  that  morning,  so  near  the  end  of  His  teaching, 
Jesus  did  as  He  had  done  at  the  beginning  of  it;  He 
turned  both  the  sellers  and  the  buyers  out  of  the  Temple  to 
make  their  bargains  in  the  street ;  and  upset  the  tables  of 
the  money-changers  upon  the  smooth  marble  pavement  of 
the  porches,  and  overturned  the  seats  of  them  that  sat  selling 
doves,  and  told  them  to  go  out.  And  soon  it  became  known 
that  Jesus  had  come  back,  and  was  clearing  the  Temple 
again,  and  then  He  had  no  need  to  touch  any  one,  for  they 
hurried  out,  all  the  faster  that  this  was  the  second  time  He 
had  found  them  making  a  market  of  the  outer  court.  Thus 
He  cleared  the  Temple  a  second  time,  and  looked  round 
upon  broad  pavements,  uncrowded  steps,  and  quiet  porches 
and  cloisters,  with  only  the  peaceful  worshippers  left,  who 
walked  to  and  fro  in  the  sunshine  in  the  great  wide  courts 
with  noiseless  naked  feet  on  the  beautiful  coloured  marble. 


338  HOSANNA. 

And  Jesus  said  that  nobody  should  be  allowed  to  carry  a 
dish  through  the  Temple  ;  which  stopped  all  those  who  had 
made  a  short  way  across  the  large  court.  He  then  began  to 
teach  in  one  of  the  porches,  and  the  first  thing  He  said  was 
to  upbraid  the  Temple  council  for  letting  the  place  be  so 
degraded. 

"  Is  it  not  written  by  Isaiah  in  the  Bible  ?  "     He  said — 

" '  Mine  House  shall  be  called  a  House  of  prayer  for  all 
people  ? '  " 

"  But  you  have  made  it  a  den  of  thieves." 

Now  the  Temple  was  under  the  care  of  hundreds  of  priests 
and  Levites,  with  many  servants  and  guards  to  help  them, 
and  these  were  ruled  over  by  fourteen  head  priests,  who 
formed  the  Temple  council.  Many  of  them  had  seen  the 
two  clearings  of  the  Temple  by  Jesus,  and  some  of  the  chief 
priests  and  chief  Lawyers,  when  they  heard  what  He  said  to 
the  people,  were  very  angry,  and  wished  to  have  Him  taken  a 
prisoner  at  once  ;  but,  like  the  lesser  rogues  whom  Jesus  had 
turned  out,  they  found  that  they  were  afraid  of  this  calm, 
young  Countryman,  and  listening  to  Him  as  He  spoke,  they 
were  astonished  at  His  wonderful  teaching. 

And  as  the  day  went  past,  blind  and  lame  persons  were 
brought  to  Him  in  the  Temple,  and  He  healed  them ;  and 
the  people  were  glad,  and  rejoiced,  and  the  children  who 
were  there  ran  in  and  out  among  the  beautiful  pillars,  repeating 
the  joyful  cries  of  yesterday  when  Jesus  rode  into  the  city — 

"  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  King  David  !  "  they  shouted. 
"  Hosanna?  to  the  Son  of  King  David  !  "  But  when  the  chief 
Lawyers  and  priests  saw  what  Jesus  was  doing,  and  heard  the 
children  shouting  "  Hosanna  ! "  till  the  courts  echoed,  they 
were  very  angry;  and  pretending  it  was  not  Him  but  the 
children  they  were  annoyed  with,  they  came  to  Him,  exclaim- 
ing angrily — 

"  Dost  Thou  hear  what  these  children  are  saying  ?  "  No 
doubt  in  their  long  white  robes  and  strange  linen  bonnets, 
they  had  solemnly  scolded  the  children,  and  tried  to  show 
them  that  they  did  wrong ;  or  they  may  have  caught  and  cuffed 


ANGRY    PRIESTS.  339 

them.  But  even  the  children  had  lost  respect  for  the  priests, 
and  felt  that  Jesus  was  better  than  they,  and  they  would  not 
cease  to  shout  their  joyful  "  Hosannas  !  "  wherever  they  went. 
To  see  these  bright  little  boys  with  lithe  limbs  and  dark  eyes 
praising  Jesus,  and  defying  them  within  their  own  Temple,  was 
more  than  the  priests  could  bear ;  and  in  a  moment  of  weak- 
ness they  asked  Him  to  help  them  to  put  down  this  insurrec- 
tion of  infants,  this  open  rebellion  of  babes.  His  answer 
annoyed  them,  for  He  used  the  very  words  of  the  Bible — 

"  Have  you  never  read  these  words,  '  Out  of  the  mouth  of 
babes  and  little  children  cometh  perfect  praise  ?  '  "  Jesus  was 
not  the  One  to  bid  the  fresh  sweet  lips  of  children,  His  dearest 
friends,  cease  praising  God ;  for,  compared  with  the  shouts 
of  the  crowd  which  followed  Him  yesterday,  the  children's 
"  Hosannas  ! "  in  the  Temple  were  purity  and  innocence 
itself,  and  once  more  He  gave  them  the  highest  place 
of  all.  And  the  priests  went  away,  doubly  annoyed  because 
He  would  not  help  them. 

On  Monday  evening  Jesus  again  went  out  of  the  city  with 
His  disciples,  and  before  the  sudden  darkness  fell  upon  the 
land  He  had  passed  over  the  ridge  of  Olivet,  to  spend  the 
night  once  more  at  Bethany. 

Remember  that  no  one  can  praise  Jesus  better  than  a 
bright  sunny  child.  Boys  are  the  sweetest  singers  in  any 
choir.  Children's  voices  were  ever  dearest  to  Jesus,  and 
these  little  fellows  knew  that  He  loved  them,  and  ran  about 
among  the  Temple  porches  shouting  praises,  sweeter  far 
than  all  the  music  and  singing  of  the  great  Levite  band,  or 
the  silver  trumpets  of  the  priests. 

Hosanna !  loud  hosanna 

The  little  children  sang, 
Through  pillared  porch  and  temple 

Their  happy  voices  rang; 
To  Jesus,  who  had  blessed  them 

And  clasped  them  to  His  breast, 
These  children's  joyful  praises 

Were  sweetest  and  the  best. 


340  HIS    LAST    DAY    IN    THE    TEMPLE. 

HIS   LAST   DAY   IN   THE   TEMPLE. 

JERUSALEM,   TUESDAY,   APRIL,   A.D.    34. 

Early  on  Tuesday  morning  Jesus  came  again  with  His 
disciples  from  Bethany,  walking  over  the  hill  to  Jerusalem 
before  the  sun  was  high,  while  yet  the  heavy  dews  of  night 
sparkled  in  the  grass,  and  the  morning  song  of  birds  came 
up  from  the  olive  groves  and  distant  rose  gardens ;  and  as 
they  went,  they  passed  the  withered  fig  tree,  which  reminded 
the  disciples  of  their  want  of  faith  yesterday.  With  the 
earliest  of  the  worshippers  they  entered  the  Temple,  into 
which  the  buyers  and  sellers  and  money-changers  were  now 
afraid  to  go ;  but  which  was  soon  crowded  with  the  fresh 
arrivals  of  country  people,  who  increased  every  day  as  the 
Festival  came  nearer.  Walking  up  and  down  between  the 
pillars  of  the  porch,  Jesus  spoke  to  the  crowds,  and  people 
came  to  listen  who  had  never  heard  Him  speak  before,  and 
those  who  had  heard  Him  came  again,  delighted  with  His 
words,  and  He  was  soon  the  principal  person  there.  The 
priests  wished  to  have  Him  stopped,  for  their  own  Teachers 
were  deserted  when  Jesus  began  to  speak;  but  they  were 
afraid  to  touch  One  who  was  so  much  liked,  for  fear  of 
a  riot,  which  would  bring  the  Roman  soldiers  down  upon 
them  from  the  tower  of  Antonia  through  the  private  passage 
into  the  Temple,  to  punish  them  for  not  keeping  better 
order  at  a  Festival.  The  priests  consulted  with  the  Lawyers 
and  the  Temple  authorities,  who  would  do  nothing  while 
Jesus  was-  surrounded  with  so  many  friends  ;  but  they  re- 
solved upon  a  plan  which  they  thought  would  expose  Him 
to  the  people  as  a  false  Teacher.  He  was  not  a  member 
of  the  council  that  had  charge  of  the  Temple,  nor  had  He 
ever  been  examined  or  ordained  by  any  Doctors  of  the  Law 
and  declared  fit  to  teach,  as  all  their  recognised  Teachers  had 
to  be  ;  and  they  would  show  the  people  that  He  had  thus  no 
right  to  order  the  buyers  and  sellers  out,  or  to  be  a  Teacher. 

And  so  a  few  were  chosen  to  go  to  Jesus,  of  chief  priests, 
in  their  curious  hnen  dresses,  of  chief  Lawyers,  in  long  robes, 


WAS    JOHN    FROM    GOD?  34 1 

and  head  men  of  the  city,  rich  Sadducees,  well  known  to  the 
people  as  men  of  high  position  and  great  power.  They  wished 
to  put  Jesus  down,  to  silence  Him  by  superior  authority, 
and  have  Him  turned  out  of  the  Temple  as  a  cheat.  As 
He  walked  on  the  marble  pavement  in  the  porch,  they  came 
through  the  people,  hugging  their  garments  about  them,  lest 
they  should  be  defiled  at  this  important  time  by  touching 
a  common  person,  and  standing  before  Him,  one  of  them 
spoke  to  Him  loudly,  saying — 

"Tell  us  by  what  authority  Thou  doest  these  things" 
— meaning,  what  right  had  He  to  say  who  should  come 
into  the  Temple?  What  right  had  He  to  teach  at  all? 
And  the  people  crowded  nearer  to  hear  the  answer  of  Jesus. 
But  this  young  Countryman,  this  barefooted  Galilean,  was 
not  afraid  of  their  show  of  power.  He  had  a  question  to 
ask  them  first — 

"I  will  ask  you  one  question,"  Jesus  replied,  "and  if  you 
answer  Me,  I  also  will  answer  you  what  right  I  have  to  do 
these  things."  And  the  chief  men  began  to  feel  uncomfort- 
able, as  He  looked  calmly  at  them.  "  Was  the  teaching  of 
John  the  Baptist,  from  God,  or  of  men?"  adding,  as  a 
challenge  before  all  the  people,  "  Answer  Me  ! "  And  at 
once  a  hum  of  conversation  rose  from  the  crowd,  as  the 
priests  and  Lawyers  drew  closer  together  and  argued  with 
each  other  with  finger  on  palm,  and  grave  shaking  of  heads, 
for  they  could  not  agree  about  the  answer.  The  calm  gaze 
of  Jesus  confused  and  flurried  them  as  He  waited  to  hear 
what  they  would  say  about  His  dead  Cousin ;  and  they  forgot 
to  press  their  own  question  in  discussing  His  one, — Was  John 
the  Baptist  a  Teacher  from  God  who  spoke  the  truth,  or  did 
he  tell  lies  ?  was  the  question. 

"  If  we  say  John  was  a  Teacher  from  God,"  they  whispered 
to  each  other,  "  then  Jesus  will  say  to  us,  '  John  told  you  that 
I  am  the  Christ,  and  why  do  you  not  beheve  the  message  of 
a  Teacher  from  God  ?  '  and  if  we  should  answer  that  John  was 
not  a  Teacher  from  God,  then  this  crowd  of  people,  into  which 
we  have  come,  will  set  up  a  cry,  and  stone  us,  for  all  the 


342  FRUITS    OF    HEAVEN. 

people  believe  that  John  the  Baptist  was  from  God."  And 
they  resolved  to  say  they  did  not  know  whether  John  the 
Baptist  was  a  Teacher  from  God  or  no,  and  then  to  press  Jesus 
to  answer  their  first  question ;  forgetting  that  this  would  be  a 
strange  confession  of  ignorance  for  Teachers  of  the  people  to 
make.  Having  all  agreed  upon  one  answer,  they  turned  to 
Jesus  again — 

"  We  do  not  know,"  was  the  short  reply  of  their  spokesman. 

"Neither  will  I  tell  you,  by  what  right  I  do  these  things," 
was  the  equally  short  answer  of  Jesus ;  and,  turning  to  the 
people.  He  resumed  teaching,  with  a  direct  bearing  on  the 
chief  men  who  stood  by.  And  thus,  once  more,  in  their  own 
great  and  impressive  Temple,  the  priests  and  Lawyers  were 
silenced  and  humiliated,  all  the  more  so  that  they  had  come 
with  such  a  show  of  learning  and  authority  to  stop  Jesus, 
and  they  had  to  choose  between  waiting  there  to  be  further 
rebuked  by  Him,  or  slipping  away  back  to  their  companions 
in  the  council  hall  to  tell  them  of  their  defeat. 

Learn  from  this,  the  shamefulness  of  hypocrisy  and  false- 
hood, for  these  men,  as  all  the  people  knew,  had  often  said 
that  John  the  Baptist  was  not  a  Teacher  who  spoke  the  truth, 
and  yet  they  thought  to  dissemble  and  to  deceive  Jesus  ;  but 
they  must  have  winced  under  His  dark  eyes.  Keep  thou  truth 
in  thy  heart  and  on  thy  tongue,  and  thou  wilt  have  the  joy  of 
knowing  that  the  eyes  of  Jesus  would  have  ever  rested  lovingly 
on  thee.     In  the  words  of  Wilham  Shakespeare — 

f*  "  To  thine  own  self  be  true, 

And  it  must  follow,  as  the  night  the  day, 
Thou  canst  not  then  be  false  to  any  man." 

THE    FRUITS   OF    HEAVEN. 

JERUSALEM,   TUESDAY,   APRIL,   A.D.  34. 

Having  silenced  the  men  who  had  come  to  stop  Him  from 
teaching  any  more  in  the  Temple,  Jesus  went  on  to  tell  the 
people  a  story  with  a  meaning,  to  show  how  wicked  the  Pharisees 
were  ;  and  yet,  that  even  Pharisees,  might  change  their  lives  and 
become  good.     And  the  story  is  very  interesting  to  little  boys, 


TWO   BOYS.  343 

for  it  is  about  two  sons,  one  of  whom  had  a  quick  temper,  but 
a  good  heart,  while  the  other  had  fine  manners,  but  did  not 
speak  the  truth.  Their  father  had  a  small  vineyard,  and 
needed  their  help  to  dig  it,  and  to  dress  the  vines,  and  gather 
in  the  ripe  purple  grapes.  And  some  Pharisees  stood  near 
to  hear  what  Jesus  would  say  next,  and  this  is  what  they 
heard — 

What  do  you  think  ?  A  man  had  two  sons ;  and  he  came 
to  the  first  one  and  said  to  him,  *  Child,  go  and  work  in  the 
vineyard  to-day.'  But  this  son  was  quick-tempered,  and 
wished  to  do  something  else,  and  he  refused,  saying  shortly, 
'  I  will  not.'  Now,  his  father  was  grieved,  but  he  said  noth- 
ing, and  the  son  went  off  to  do  something  else  of  his  own. 
But  as  he  went,  he  was  sorry  for  what  he  had  said  to  his 
father,  and  after  a  little,  he  gave  up  what  he  was  at  of  his  own, 
and  slipped  away  into  the  vineyard,  and  began  to  work  as  his 
father  had  asked  him.  Now  when  the  first  son  refused  to  go, 
the  father  went  to  his  other  son  and  said  the  same  thing  to 
him,  'Go  and  work  in  the  vineyard  to-day.'  *I  go,  sir,'  this 
son  replied,  as  if  paying  great  respect  to  his  father's  wishes ; 
but  he  said  what  was  not  true,  for  he  did  not  intend  to  go, 
and  went  away  to  do  something  else,  and  did  not  go  near  the 
vineyard.     Turning  to  the  Pharisees,  Jesus  asked — 

"  Which  of  these  sons  did  what  his  father  wished?"  The 
question  was  not  which  /lad  said  he  would  do  it ;  and  there 
was  only  one  answer,  and  afraid  to  blunder  again,  a  Pharisee 
replied — 

"The  first  son  did  what  his  father  wished."  He  had  an- 
swered rightly,  but  he  did  not  know  that  his  answer  would 
bring  such  a  severe  rebuke  upon  them.  For  Jesus  told  the 
Pharisees  in  grave  tones,  as  a  warning  against  their  pretended 
goodness,  that  the  worst  people  in  the  country  would  go  into 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  before  them,  and  He  told  them  why ; 
and  they  could  not  deny  it.  John  the  Baptist,  He  said,  had 
come  to  them  as  a  guide  and  Teacher  of  the  people,  telling 
them  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  among  men,  and  they  would 
not  listen  to  him ;  while  some  of  the  worst  people  in  the  land 


344  ^^^^    VINEYARD. 

had  listened  and  believed,  and  turned  to  goodness.  Jesus 
said  also,  that  worst  of  all,  when  the  Pharisees  saw  the  people 
changing  and  becoming  good,  who  were  openly  bad,  they 
were  not  even  then  ashamed  of  their  own  secret  wickedness. 
Thus  He  made  the  meaning  of  the  story  plain,  that  the  bad 
people  were  like  the  son  who  was  sorry;  while  the  secretly 
bad  Pharisees  were  like  the  son  with  fine  manners,  who  did 
not  obey  his  father. 

And  so  the  Pharisees  could  tell  their  companions  in  the 
council  hall,  that  Jesus  had  said  again  that  the  worst  people  in 
the  land  were  better  than  the  Pharisees ;  and  each  message 
like  this  was  a  fresh  faggot  on  the  fire  of  their  hatred  of  Him. 

It  was  the  time  of  year  when  much  work  was  being  done  in 
the  vineyards,  in  the  vales,  and  on  the  terraced  hill-sides,  pre- 
paring the  springing  vines  for  the  growth  of  Summer,  and  as 
there  were  many  country  people  in  the  Temple  who  had  come 
to  the  Festival  from  the  hills  and  valleys  where  the  grapes 
grew,  they  all  understood  the  next  story  which  Jesus  told.  He 
told  it  standing  amid  the  marble  pillars  of  the  outer  porch, 
listened  to  by  those  who  were  close  round  Him,  and  heard  by 
the  hundreds  of  people  who  moved  about  in  the  sunshine  in 
the  open  court  beyond.  The  story  was  about  a  rich  man  who 
lent  his  vineyard  to  some  bad  men  who  were  to  give  him  the 
fruit,  and  of  what  those  bad  men  did.    And  this  is  the  story — 

There  was  once  a  man,  who  planted  a  piece  of  ground  with 
vines,  and  put  a  high  prickly  hedge  round  it,  and  dug  a 
place  in  '!ae  ground  in  which  to  press  the  juice  from  the 
ripe  grapes,  and  he  built  a  watch-tower  to  guard  it  from 
thieves,  and  he  lent  the  vineyard  to  men  who  were  to  attend 
to  it,  and  went  away  to  travel  in  a  far  distant  country.  When 
Autumn  came  and  the  time  for  ripe  grapes  was  near,  he  sent 
servants  to  get  the  fruit  from  these  men.  But  they  took  the 
first  servant  who  came  and  beat  him,  and  sent  him  away  with 
nothing.  And  the  owner  sent  a  second  servant,  and  him  the 
men  wounded  on  the  head,  hurting  him  shamefully,  and 
sent  him  also  back  with  nothing.  Then  the  owner  sent  a 
third  servant,  and  him  also  they  wounded,  and  put  out  of  the 


FRUITS    IN    THEIR    SEASON.  345 

vineyard.  But  the  owner  sent  yet  another  servant,  whom 
they  killed ;  and  many  more  he  sent,  some  of  whom  the  men 
beat,  and  some  they  killed.  And  the  owner  said  to  himself, 
"  What  shall  I  do  ?  I  will  send  my  much-loved  son ;  perhaps 
they  will  honour  him?"  And  he  sent  his  only  son,  as  the  last 
of  all,  saying,  ^'They  will  respect  my  son."  But  when  the  bad 
men  in  their  watch-tower  saw  him  coming,  they  said  to  each 
other — "  This  is  the  heir  !  Let  us  kill  him,  and  we  shall  get 
the  vineyard  ! "  And  they  dragged  him  out  of  the  vineyard 
and  killed  him.  Then  Jesus  paused  in  His  story,  and  asked 
this  question  of  those  who  were  listening — 

*'When  the  owner  of  this  vineyard  shall  come  to  visit  it 
what  will  he  do  to  these  men?  " 

"  He  will  miserably  destroy  those  bad  men,"  some  one 
answered  at  once,  "  and  will  let  the  vineyard  to  other  men, 
who  will  give  him  the  fruits  in  their  season."  But  others 
called  out — 

"God  forbid  it !"  They  had  guessed  the  meaning  of  the 
story,  which  was  this.  The  world  was  the  vineyard,  the  servants 
were  God's  messengers,  of  whom  John  the  Baptist  was  one,  and 
Jesus  Himself  was  the  much-loved  Son,  while  the  priests  and 
Lawyers,  some  of  whom  were  now  before  Him,  with  murder 
in  their  hearts,  were  the  cruel  and  bad  men  of  the  story. 
Turning  to  the  place  where  the  last  speaker  stood,  Jesus 
warned  them  all,  saying  earnestly — 

"What  is  that  which  is  written?  Did  you  never  read  in 
your  Bibles  in  the  118th  psalm  : 

" '  The  stone  which  the  builders  rejected,  hath  been  made 
the  chief  stone  in  the  corner  of  the  house.' 

" '  This  is  God's  doing.  It  is  wonderful  to  us.'  " 
The  people  understood  Him  at  once.  He  was  the  One 
whom  they  were  rejecting,  but  God  would  lift  Him  up  to  the 
highest  place.  And  as  they  looked  at  Him,  some  were  angry, 
and  some  wondered,  for  instead  of  being  afraid.  His 
words  were  growing  bolder.  Turning  to  the  Pharisees  and 
Lawyers  who  were  there.  He  continued,  "  Therefore  I  say  to 
you  that  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  will  be  taken  away  from 


34^  THE    WEDDING    GARMENT. 

you,  and  given  to  them  who  bring  forth  good  deeds,  which 
are  the  fruits  of  Heaven.  Whoever  falleth  upon  this  corner 
Stone  of  which  I  speak,  shall  be  broken  to  pieces,  but  upon 
whom  It  shall  fall,  It  will  scatter  him  like  dust."  And  Jesus 
ceased  speaking  for  a  time. 

When  the  priests  heard  Him  say  that  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven  would  be  taken  away  from  them,  and  that  He  would 
crush  them  like  a  great  corner  stone,  they  became  more  angry, 
and  sought  to  have  Him  taken  a  prisoner  at  once.  They  may 
even  have  given  orders  for  this  to  be  done,  but  again  they 
changed  their  minds  for  fear  of  the  people,  who  now  looked 
upon  Jesus  as  a  man  sent  from  God,  and  they  gave  up  the 
thought  of  taking  Him  that  day.  But  the  Pharisees  would 
listen  to  no  more  of  His  teaching,  and  withdrew  to  their  com- 
panions in  the  council  hall,  to  tell  them  that  it  would  not  be 
safe  to  try  to  take  Jesus  a  prisoner  just  now,  and  that  the  only 
way  was  to  find  some  method  by  which  to  get  the  people  to 
turn  against  Him.  But  Jesus  continued  where  He  was, 
apparently  not  caring  what  the  priests  might  do. 

Remember  what  are  the  fruits  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven 
here, — love,  truth,  gentleness,  peace,  hope,  joy,  reverence, 
hanging  like  ripe  apples  amid  the  green  leaves  of  thy  young 
Hfe.  These  thou  wilt  give  in  faithful  service  to  Jesus,  who 
asketh  thee  often  what  thou  art  growing  as  fruit  for  God  in 
thy  little  part  of  His  Kingdom. 

fT 

THE    WEDDING    GARMENT. 

JERUSALEM,   TUESDAY,   APRIL,   A.D.    34. 

Sitting  in  one  of  the  arches  of  the  Women's  court  of 
the  great  Temple,  Jesus  resumed  teaching,  and  the  people 
pressed  closer  round  Him  to  hear  what  He  would  say,  now 
that  the  Pharisees  and  Lawyers  were  gone.  Would  He  speak 
of  their  attempt  to  stop  Him,  or  their  threats  to  take  Him  a 
prisoner,  which  the  looks  of  the  people  had  made  them  afraid 
to  carry  out?    Would  He  cease  telling  stories,  and  say  when 


THE  king's  messengers.  347 

He  would  declare  Himself  King?  The  arches  were  higher  than 
the  pavement,  and  the  people  stood  out  in  the  great  square, 
with  their  bright  kerchiefs  shading  their  eyes  from  the  sun,  as 
they  looked  up  at  the  white  figure  of  the  young  Galilean. 

In  a  low  voice  Jesus  began,  and  they  could  hear  that  He 
was  speaking  once  more  of  that  beautiful  Heaven,  into  which 
His  dark  eyes  seemed  to  gaze,  with  a  calm  abstracted  look, 
as  He  thought  out  the  story.  The  priests  were  gone.  He 
thought  but  of  the  people  before  Him,  who  had  long  been 
taught  that  Heaven  was  for  Jews  only ;  and  that  was  not  true. 
The  truth  about  Heaven  was  to  be  told  by  Him  to  the  Jews 
first,  but  it  would  spread  to  all  nations.  He  said  again  that 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  among  men  was  like  a  great  marriage 
feast,  to  which  those  who  were  first  asked,  would  not  come, 
and  that  the  Master  would  fill  His  house  with  others — a  story 
in  some  parts  like  the  one  He  told  at  the  Ruler's  dinner-table 
in  the  Peraea  about  three  months  before,  and  this  is  it. 

The  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  like  a  King  who  gave  a  great 
feast  at  the  marriage  of  his  son,  and  sent  his  servants  to  call 
in  all  the  people  that  had  been  asked  to  the  feast,  but  they 
would  not  come.  Then  he  sent  out  other  servants  with  this 
message — 

"  Say  to  them  that  are  asked,  ^  I  have  made  ready  my  house, 
mine  oxen  and  my  lambs  are  killed,  and  all  things  are  pre- 
pared;  come  in  to  my  marriage-feast.'"  And  the  servants 
took  the  King's  message  to  them  that  were  asked,  but  they 
paid  no  heed  to  it  and  went  other  ways,  the  farmer  to  his 
farm,  and  the  merchant  to  his  goods.  But  some  did  much 
worse,  for  they  took  hold  of  some  of  the  King's  servants,  and 
treated  them  very  cruelly,  and  killed  others.  Now  this  was 
what  the  Jews  had  done  to  John  the  Baptist  when  he  said  that 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  was  near,  and  to  other  good  men, 
who  had  come  with  a  message  from  God.  But  the  story  went 
on  to  tell  how  the  people  who  would  not  come  to  the  feast 
were  punished. 

Now  the  King  was  very  angry,  and  sent  out  his  soldiers,  who 
punished  these  bad  men,  and  burned  their  towns.     And  he 


34^  IN    ROBE    AND    CROWN. 

said  to  his  servants  again  :  "  The  marriage-feast  is  ready,  but 
those  whom  I  first  asked  to  come  did  not  deserve  it,  go  there- 
fore to  the  places  where  two  roads  meet,  and  ask  all  the  people 
whom  you  see,  to  come  to  my  marriage-feast."  And  the  ser- 
vants went  out  to  the  roads  and  gathered  together  all  whom 
they  could  find,  good  and  bad,  rich  and  poor,  Jew  or  stran- 
ger, and  brought  them  in,  and  so  the  great  hall  was  filled  with 
guests. 

This  was  the  first  part  of  the  story,  which  meant  that  the 
Jews  had  refused  to  listen  to  men  like  John  the  Baptist,  who 
came  to  tell  them  the  truth  about  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 
And  Jesus  went  on  to  tell  the  people  the  second  part  of  the 
story  about  the  marriage  garment.  Thou  wilt  now  suppose 
that  the  guests  are  all  reclining  round  low  tables  in  a  brightly 
lighted  hall.  Each  one  as  he  came  in  at  the  door  had  re- 
ceived a  white  wedding-robe  to  wear,  which  they  all  took 
but  one  man,  who  would  not  wear  it,  thinking  he  was  good 
enough  without  it ;  and  he  came  in  also  and  sat  down  at  a 
table  in  his  own  clothing.  It  was  night.  All  was  dark  out- 
side, while  the  banqueting  hall  within  was  warm  and  bright, 
and  when  the  great  door  was  shut  and  barred,  people  gath- 
ered outside  crying  to  be  let  in,  but  they  were  too  late ;  and 
they  wept. 

When  the  feast  was  about  to  begin,  a  beautiful  curtain  was 
drawn  aside,  and  the  King  in  richly  embroidered  robes  of 
purple,  and  wearing  his  gold  crown,  came  in  and  sat  down  on 
a  white  ivory  throne,  and  looked  over  the  hundreds  of  guests 
who  had  coi  £  to  his  son's  marriage-feast  all  with  their  white 
robes  on, — all  but  one.  He  noticed  at  once  the  man  who  had 
on  no  white  robe. 

"  Friend,  how  didst  thou  come  in  hither,  not  having  on  a 
wedding  garment?"  the  King  asked,  looking  at  him  sternly. 
And  he  waited  for  a  reply,  but  the  man  had  none  to  give.  He 
dared  not'  look  at  the  King  and  say  he  was  good  enough  with- 
out the  King's  robe ;  for  he  had  no  right  to  be  there  without 
it.  He  wished  to  enter  the  Kingdom,  but  he  would  not  wear 
the  robe. 


A    ROMAN    PENNY.  349 

"  Servants  ! "  said  the  King  angrily,  "  tie  his  hands  and 
his  feet,  and  cast  him  out  into  the  darkness,  where  there 
is  weeping  and  mourning."  And  the  servants  at  once 
did  as  they  were  told,  and  the  man  was  put -out.  That  was 
the  end  of  the  story.  The  people  did  not  need  to  be  told 
that  God  was  the  King,  and  that  all  who  would  have  Heaven 
must  obey  Him  ;  and  Jesus  added,  as  a  warning  to  those 
who  heard  Him,  "  Many  are  asked,  but  few  are  chosen." 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  learn  the  meaning  of  the  wedding 
garment.  It  means  love  and  obedience  to  God,  without 
which  no  one  can  have  Heaven.  See,  then,  that  thou  hast 
this  life-wrought  wedding-robe,  adorned  with  pearls  of  good 
thoughts  and  kind  deeds,  and  embroidered  with  the  gold  of 
truthful  words ;  a  robe  fit  for  an  angel. 

A   ROMAN    PENNY. 

JERUSALEM,    TUESDAY,   APRIL,    A.D.    34. 

While  Jesus  was  speaking  to  the  people  who  crowded  round 
Him  in  one  of  the  side  porches  of  the  Women's  Court  of  the 
Temple,  the  priests  were  holding  a  small  meeting  in  one  of 
their  rooms  in  the  Priests'  Court  above.  They  had  failed  to 
stop  Him  by  asking  for  His  authority,  they  were  afraid  to  take 
Him  a  prisoner  openly  because  of  the  friends  He  had  among 
the  people,  and  what  were  they  to  do  ?  because,  almost  within 
hearing  of  where  they  sat.  He  was  at  that  moment  speaking 
against  them  to  a  large  crowd  of  listeners.  As  a  council  of 
Pharisees  and  Sadducees,  they  found  themselves  unable  to  with- 
stand Jesus,  and  so  they  asked  in  some  of  their  old  enemies 
the  poHtical  Herodians  to  help  them,  for  they  also  hated 
Him.  Jesus  had  disregarded  the  authority  of  the  Pharisees, 
and  they  thought  that  if  they  could  get  the  Roman  power  to 
bear  on  Him,  that  would  quickly  crush  Him.  They  talked 
of  sending  spies  into  the  crowd  to  overhear  Him  speaking 
against  the  Romans,  for  they  felt  sure  He  would  do  that  as 
the  Christ,  when  He  thought  no  one  was  listening  who  would 
tell.    Some  one  proposed  rather  that  a  spy  should  go  down  into 


350  THE    POLL    TAX. 

the  crowd  and  pretend  to  be  a  friend,  and  entice  Jesus  to  speak 
against  the  Roman  Emperor,  by  asking  Him  a  direct  question, 
and  then  they  would  tell  Pilate,  the  Roman  Governor,  what 
He  had  said,  and  have  Him  taken  by  Roman  soldiers.  This 
was  agreed  to,  for  they  beheved  that  as  the  Christ,  He  would 
stir  up  the  people  to  fight  the  Romans.  What  should  the 
question  be?  It  must  be  one  that  whether  Jesus  answered 
"  Yes  "  or  ''  No  "  would  get  Him  into  trouble  with  either  the 
Romans  or  the  people.  Now  there  was  a  tax  of  one  penny  for 
each  man,  called  the  poll  tax,  which  the  people  had  to  pay  the 
Romans,  and  which  they  hated  to  pay,  and  though  the  Phari- 
sees said  it  should  be  paid  and  the  Herodians  said  it  should 
not,  they  thought  it  would  be  a  good  question  to  catch  Jesus 
with.  If  He  should  tell  the  people  that  they  ought  to  pay  the 
tax,  the  people  would  cry  out  against  Him ;  while  if  He 
should  say  that  they  should  not  pay  it,  the  Roman  governor 
would  at  once  take  Him  a  prisoner  for  speaking  against  the 
Roman  tax.  The  Pharisees  remembered  how  He  had  put 
them  into  just  such  a  difficulty  in  the  morning  with  His 
question  about  John  the  Baptist.  And  so  they  chose  some  of 
the  young  Pharisee  scholars  who  were  not  well  known,  and 
told  them  to  pretend  they  were  friends  of  Jesus,  and  ask  Him 
to  tell  them  whether  He  thought  the  Pharisees  or  the  Herod- 
ians were  right  about  paying  the  Roman  tax.  And  thus 
these  old  Pharisees  instructed  their  scholars  in  the  art  of 
deception  and  lying. 

As  the  forenoon  of  Tuesday  advanced,  these  young  spies 
mixed  withuhe  ever-moving  and  strangely  dressed  crowd  in 
the  Women's  Court,  until,  quite  unknown  to  the  people,  they 
were  standing  apparently  listening  earnestly  to  Jesus.  As 
usual  with  Teachers,  questions  were  put  to  Jesus  by  His  fol- 
lowers, which  He  answered  ;  and  when  the  proper  time  came, 
a  smooth-tongued  young  Pharisee,  indicating  that  he  spoke 
for  those  near  him,  addressed  Jesus  in  these  fine  words — 

"  Teacher  !  we  know  that  Thou  art  true,  and  that  Thou 
dost  speak  and  teach  the  way  of  God  in  truth,  and  art  not 
afraid  of  any  man,  for  Thou  carest  not  for  the  rank  of  men, — 


WHOSE    HEAD    IS    THIS?  35 1 

tell  us,  therefore,  what  thou  thinkest.  Is  it  right  or  is  it  not 
right  for  us  to  pay  the  penny  tax  to  the  Roman  Emperor, 
Caesar?  The  young  Pharisee  had  begun  as  he  was  told,  by 
praising  Jesus  for  His  good  teaching,  and  for  not  being  afraid, 
and  then  as  if  a  friend,  he  asked  for  His  private  thoughts 
about  the  Roman  poll  tax.  They  believed  that  Jesus  secretly 
intended  to  be  declared  King  by  the  people,  and  as  the  Christ, 
to  fight  against  the  Roman  power,  and  they  hoped  by  getting 
Him  to  speak  against  the  Romans  in  the  Temple,  to  have 
Him  captured  at  once  and  put  to  death  by  the  governor  as  a 
stirrer  up  of  sedition.  Jesus  looked  calmly  at  these  foolish 
young  men,  the  weak  tools  of  older  hypocrites.  He  knew 
that  such  a  question  as  this  was  not  put  by  true  friends  of 
His.  They  praised  Him  overmuch,  and  sought  to  entangle 
Him  with  politics  and  the  hated  question  of  the  poll  tax. 

"Why  do  you  tempt  me,  you  hypocrites?  "  He  exclaimed, 
with  a  glance  of  His  dark  eyes  that  made  the  young  men 
shrink  back.  They  were  discovered  !  He  knew  they  were 
enemies  !  "Show  me  the  tribute  money,"  Jesus  continued, 
not  waiting  for  their  answer.  "  Bring  me  a  Roman  penny, 
that  I  may  see  it !  "  None  of  the  young  Pharisees  had  a 
penny,  and  while  one  was  being  got,  Jesus  stood  silent  and 
angry,  and  the  young  men,  ashamed  to  go  away,  wondered 
what  He  would  do,  but  the  people  knew  it  was  another  plot 
of  the  priests.  The  penny  was  brought  and  handed  to  Jesus  ; 
of  brown  copper,  with  the  head  of  the  Emperor  Augustus 
Caesar,  upon  it,  and  words  round  the  edge,  just  like  an  English 
penny. 

"Whose  head  and  whose  words  are  these?"  Jesus  asked 
the  spies,  holding  up  the  penny  that  all  might  see  the  head  of 
the  Roman  Emperor  upon  it. 

"  Caesar's  !  "  the  young  men  answered,  not  knowing  what 
would  follow. 

"  Then,"  said  Jesus,  "  give  to  Caesar  what  belongeth  to 
Caesar,  and  give  to  God  what  belongeth  to  God."  He  did 
not  answer  "  Yes  "  or  "  No,"  for  He  would  not  interfere  in 
the  politics  of  the  country,  and  the  strife  of  rival  parties ;  nor 


352       AS  THE  ANGELS  OF  HEAVEN. 

would  He  be  a  judge  between  disputants.  He  had  told 
Peter  at  Capernaum  to  pay  the  Temple  tax ;  He  would  not 
decide  between  the  young  man  and  his  brother  in  the  Galilean 
village ;  He  would  not  judge  the  woman  brought  to  Him  in 
the  Temple,  and  now  He  would  take  no  part  in  this  burning 
dispute  about  the  poll  tax.  The  Christ  would  not  be  a 
prince  of  war,  who  would  fight  the  enemies  of  His  nation,  but 
a  Teacher  of  the  will  of  God  to  men,  who  would  raise  up 
goodness  and  conquer  evil  within  them.  He  had  come  to 
speak  of  Heaven  to  the  people,  not  to  settle  disputes ;  and 
His  answer  meant  that  they  were  to  obey  the  Romans,  but  to 
obey  God  more. 

It  had  been  arranged  what  the  spies  were  to  do,  if  Jesus 
answered  "  Yes  "  or  "  No ;  "  but  they  could  make  nothing  of 
His  reply,  and  remained  silent  and  confused,  defeated  again 
before  the  people,  and  they  went  off  as  soon  as  they  could,  to 
tell  their  masters  what  had  happened.  The  Pharisees  and 
Herodians  were  much  surprised  in  their  private  room  to  hear 
the  answer,  for  they  had  felt  certain  they  would  get  Jesus 
into  trouble  this  time.  But  He  resumed  teaching  as  though 
nothing  had  happened. 

Remember,  then,  how  foolish  and  wicked  it  was  of  these 
young  men  to  come  to  Jesus  and  praise  Him  in  words  which 
they  did  not  mean,  and  all  because  they  were  told  by  older 
men  to  do  so ;  and  be  thou  careful,  in  song  or  in  prayer, 
never  to  use  insincere  words  to  God,  which  thou  dost  not 
think  about,  or  mean. 
If 

AS  THE   ANGELS   OF   HEAVEN. 

JERUSALEM,  TUESDAY,  APRIL,   A.D.  34. 

The  Sadducees  of  Jerusalem  had  up  to  this  time  taken  no 
special  interest  in  Jesus.  They  were  the  aristocracy  of  the 
nation,  rich  and  powerful,  who  cared  little  for  religion,  and 
despised  the  strict  rules  of  the  Pharisees,  Essenes,  Zealots, 
Herodians,  and  other  sects,  and  they  had  treated  the  young 
Carpenter  of  Nazareth  as  quite  beneath  their  notice.     They 


A    SADDUCEAN    INSULT.  353 

did  not  believe  in  the  rising  of  the  dead,  or  in  Heaven,  or  in 
the  life  of  the  spirit  after  death;  and  knowing  that  Jesus 
taught  such  things,  they  thought  they  could  easily  show  the 
misguided  people  that  this  young  Teacher  from  the  country 
could  be  silenced  at  once,  by  putting  one  of  the  questions  to 
Him  which  old  grey-headed  doctors  of  the  Law  could  not 
answer.  To  show  their  contempt,  they  selected  a  question 
which  was  commonly  looked  upon  as  ludicrous,  so  that  they 
might  cause  the  people  to  laugh  at  His  teaching  about  Heaven. 
They  also  wished  to  show  the  Pharisees  how  easily  they  could 
dispose  of  this  Man  of  the  people. 

And  as  Tuesday  advanced,  a  group  of  these  great  men,  with 
embroidered  robes  and  turbans,  jewelled  finger- rings,  and  hair 
fragrant  with  costly  oils,  came  through  among  the  pillars  of 
the  porch,  and  stood  a  little  way  off  listening  with  smiles  on 
their  faces  as  they  heard  Jesus  speaking  earnestly  of  Heaven 
to  the  people.  Stepping  forward,  one  of  them,  with  an  edu- 
cated tone  and  face  of  mock  gravity,  put  the  absurd  question 
to  Him  which  they  had  made  up.  He  first  spoke  of  a  law 
of  Moses,  made  fifteen  hundred  years  before,  and  then  told 
a  story  about  a  supposed  woman  who  had  had  seven 
husbands. 

"  Teacher,"  he  began,  "  Moses  wrote  that  if  a  man  should 
die  without  children,  his  brother  should  marry  his  widow  and 
have  children.  Now  there  were  seven  brothers,  and  the  first 
married  a  wife  and  died  without  children,  then  the  second 
brother  married  the  widow  and  died  without  children,  and  the 
third  brother  did  the  same,  and  so  did  all  the  seven  brothers, 
but  they  left  no  children,  and  last  of  all  the  woman  died  also." 
That  was  the  Sadducees'  made-up  story  of  the  seven  men  who 
had  died  one  by  one  in  proper  order,  and  of  the  woman  who 
died  last,  and  it  was  so  silly  that  the  people  smiled  who  heard 
it,  and  the  other  Sadducees  laughed;  but  his  question  was 
even  more  foolish. 

"  Whose  wife  \vill  she  be  in  Heaven,"  he  asked  sharply, 
" for  all  the  seven  brothers  had  her  as  a  wife?  "  And  some  in 
the  crowd  thought  this  very  clever,  and  in  the  pause  which 


354  LIFE    AFTER    DEATH. 

followed,  the  people  set  themselves  to  answer  the  riddle,  not 
without  mirth,  as  they  went  over  the  ridiculous  story  again. 
Whose  wife  ?  The  first,  or  the  last !  For  many  of  the  people 
thought  that  they  would  have  bodies  of  flesh  and  blood  in 
Heaven  after  death,  and  that  their  clothing  and  armour  and 
jewels,  if  buried  in  the  grave  with  them,  might  perhaps  go 
to  Heaven  also.  But  the  Sadducee  had  been  too  careless, 
too  insulting  in  his  story.  A  woman  with  two  husbands  in 
Heaven,  was  a  common  joke  among  them,  and  he  had  added 
other  five  husbands  to  make  it  more  amusing.  They  would 
gladly  have  allowed  Jesus  time  to  consider  His  answer,  but 
He  needed  none,  and  replied  at  once,  rebuking  their  folly 
with  calm  seriousness. 

"  You  do  not  know  the  Bible,  nor  the  power  of  God,"  He 
said,  "  and  so  you  are  mistaken.  The  men  of  this  world 
marry,  and  women  are  given  in  marriage,  but  they  that  are 
thought  worthy  to  enter  Heaven  hereafter  neither  marry  nor 
are  given  in  marriage,  but  are  as  the  angels  in  Heaven,  sons 
of  God,  and  sons  of  the  rising  again  who  cannot  die."  Thus 
they  were  answered  in  so  unexpected  a  way  that  they  forgot 
to  ask  Jesus  how  He  knew  that  there  was  no  marrying  in 
that  Heaven,  and  that  men  were  as  angels  there ;  but  they 
accepted  His  answer  with  silent  respect.  He  had  something 
more,  however,  to  say  to  these  haughty  men  who  did  not 
believe  in  Heaven  after  death  or  in  any  future  life.  They  had 
spoken  of  Moses,  as  though  they  believed  him  when  he 
wrote  about  marriage.  Did  they  believe  him  when  he  wrote 
about  a  lixC  beyond  the  grave,  which  was  something  of  far 
greater  importance  ? 

"  But,  about  the  rising  again  of  the  dead,"  Jesus  continued  : 
"  That  the  dead  are  raised,  Moses  showeth ;  for  have  you  not 
read  in  Exodus,  his  second  book,  in  the  place  where  he  writes  of 
the  burning  bush  in  the  wilderness,  that  God  said  to  him,  *  I 
a7n  the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob '  ?  Now  God  is 
not  the  God  of  their  dead  bodies,  but  of  their  living  spirits, 
for  all  men  live  unto  God.  You  Sadducees  do  err  greatly  in 
saying  there  is  no  life  after  death."     Again  they  could  not 


THE    GREATEST    COMMANDMENT.  355 

answer  Him,  but  stood  astonished,  a  sight  for  the  common 
people,  convicted  of  trifling  with  great  and  solemn  things,  and 
of  not  knowing  their  own  Bibles.  For  they  could  not  deny 
that  God  could  not  mean  that  He  was  the  God  of  the  dead 
bodies  of  these  good  men  of  old,  but  rather  of  their  living 
spirits,  like  the  angels  in  Heaven.  And  the  people  who  stood 
by  were  amazed  at  the  teaching  of  Jesus,  for  they  had  never 
heard  anything  like  it.  There  were  Lawyers  there  also,  who 
knew  every  word  of  the  books  of  Moses  by  heart,  and  when 
they  heard  His  answer  they  were  astonished  at  His  wisdom, 
and  how  well  He  understood  the  Bible.  Nor  were  they  sorry 
to  see  their  haughty  enemies  the  Sadducees  convicted  of 
error,  and  forgetting  for  a  moment  their  hatred  of  Jesus  in 
their  satisfaction  at  the  defeat  of  the  Sadducees,  a  Lawyer 
called  aloud — 

"  Teacher,  Thou  hast  answered  well.  Thou  hast  well  said." 
And  the  Sadducees  went  away  very  much  amazed,  for  they 
were  afraid  to  ask  Jesus  any  more  questions  after  this  their 
first  and  last  encounter  in  the  Temple.  And  thus  the  second 
move  that  day  in  the  combination  of  His  enemies  to  ridicule 
the  teaching  of  Jesus  before  the  people,  ended  in  they  them- 
selves being  made  ridiculous. 

And  thou  wilt  remember,  from  these  solemn  words  of  Jesus, 
that  there  is  a  life  beyond  the  grave,  where  the  spirits  of  good 
people  shall  be  as  the  angels  of  Heaven.  More  than  that 
thou  needst  not  know,  for  that  is  enough  to  make  thee  do  thy 
best  in  thy  life  here,  to  prepare  thyself  for  the  perfect  life  of 
thy  spirit  with  God  hereafter. 


THE   GREATEST   COMMANDMENT. 

JERUSALEM,  TUESDAY,  APRIL,  A.D,  34. 

Some  of  the  older  Lawyers  and  Pharisees  were  listening 
when  Jesus  answered  the  Sadducee,  as  He  taught  in  the  great 
Temple  Porch  where  the  people  thronged  and  crowded  among 
the  splendid  marble  pillars,  and  forgetting  their  own  former 


356  ON    THESE    HANG    THE    BIBLE. 

defeats,  they  thought  they  would  make  one  more  attempt  to 
catch  Him  with  a  careful  question.  These  Lawyers,  who  were 
the  Teachers  of  the  people,  taught  what  was  called  "the  Law" 
from  the  five  books  of  Moses,  which  contained  the  Ten  Com- 
mandments, and  round  these  Books  they  had  made,  it  is  said, 
quite  ten  thousand  rules  of  one  kind  or  another,  by  arguing 
and  discussing  for  many  years  in  their  schools  and  colleges. 
Some  of  these  rules  were  of  more  importance  than  others. 
They  were  of  two  kinds — rules  to  do  certain  things,  and  rules 
to  keep  from  doing  certain  things ;  and  some  men  spent  their 
whole  lives  in  studying  and  explaining  and  trying  to  add  to 
them.     It  was  their  Jewish  theology. 

A  Lawyer  had  called  out  to  Jesus,  "Thou  hast  answered 
well ! "  when  the  Sadducees  were  defeated,  and  perhaps  it  was 
he  who  asked  the  next  question.  It  was  a  common  thing  for 
them  to  dispute  as  to  which  is  the  greatest  of  the  ten  com- 
mandments, and  he  wished  to  hear  what  Jesus  would  say 
about  it. 

"Which  is  the  greatest  commandment?"  he  asked.  Jesus 
did  not  hesitate,  for  He  had  answered  almost  the  same  ques- 
tion to  a  Lawyer  at  Jericho  only  a  few  months  before. 

"  Hear,  O  people  !  "  He  replied,  speaking  loud  enough  for 
the  hundreds  who  were  standing  out  in  the  great  sunny  court 
to  hear  Him.  "  The  Lord  is  one  God  !  Thou  shalt  love  God 
with  all  thy  heart  and  soul  and  mind  and  strength.  This  is 
the  first  commandment."  He  had  answered  the  Lawyer's 
question,  but  He  went  on  to  do  more,  saying,  "  And  this  is 
the  second  commandment,  which  is  like  the  first.  Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself.  On  these  two  commandments 
hang  all  the  BibleT  He  answered  this  Lawyer  fully,  because 
He  saw  from  his  face  that  he  really  wished  to  know  the  right 
answer,  which  was,  that  if  a  man  loved  God  and  loved  man, 
he  needed  no  more  commandments,  nor  any  of  the  ten  thou- 
sand rules  of  the  Pharisees,  which  were  only  useless  amplifica- 
tions of  the  two  great  commandments  on  which  the  Bible 
rested. 

"Love    thy   neighbour,"   thought    the    Lawyer;    and   he 


NOT    FAR    FROM    HEAVEN.  357 

knew  how  these  Pharisees  hated  each  other,  and  liked  to  find 
out  their  neighbours'  faults.  And,  touched  with  the  manner 
of  Jesus,  who  looked  to  him  so  young  and  sincere,  and  dif- 
ferent from  the  Pharisees,  in  a  subdued  voice  frankly  con- 
fessing the  great  fault  of  his  sect, — forms  and  ceremonies, — • 
and  that  true  religion  is  very  simple,  needing  neither  rules, 
ceremonies,  nor  sacrifices  to  keep  it  alive,  but  only  guidance 
from  God,  he  exclaimed — 

"Truly,  Teacher,  thou  hast  said  rightly  that  God  is  One, 
and  that  there  is  no  other  God  than  He,  and  that  to  love 
Him  with  all  my  heart,  understanding,  and  strength,  and 
to  love  my  neighbour  as  myself,  is  greater  than  all  the 
burnt  offerings  and  sacrifices  of  the  priests."  The  words 
of  Jesus  had  appealed  to  the  Lawyer's  sense  of  honesty 
and  fair  play,  and  out  of  pure  admiration  for  the  simple 
truth  of  the  young  Teacher's  answer,  he  thus  spoke  out 
his  mind,  condemning  his  own  Teachers,  and  saying  that 
these  two  plain  rules  were  worth  all  the  learning  of  their 
religious  schools,  and  all  the  services  of  the  splendid  Temple 
in  which  they  stood,  with  its  altar-fires  and  sacrifices, 
which  they  could  see  smoking  in  the  Priests'  Court  above 
them.  It  was  a  bold  and  daring  thing  to  say  under  the  very 
arches  of  the  Temple,  and  while  His  companions  looked 
at  the  Lawyer  in  dismay  and  wonder,  Jesus  saw  the  change 
in  his  mind,  and  said  these  few  earnest,  thrilling  words 
to  him — 

"  Thou  art  not  far  from  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,"  mean- 
ing that  the  Spirit  of  God  was  rising  in  him.  After  this 
strange  scene,  in  which,  before  their  very  eyes,  the  Pharisees 
saw  one  of  their  own  side  changed  into  an  admirer  of  Jesus, 
they  gave  up  all  hope  of  trying  to  catch  Him  with  questions, 
for  His  wisdom  and  knowledge  made  them  afraid  to  try 
again.  Now,  after  answering  a  question,  Jesus  frequently 
asked  another  back,  and  before  the  Lawyer  and  his  friends 
went  away,  He  asked  them  a  question  out  of  the  Bible  which 
put  them  again  into  a  difficulty,  for  they  said  they  were  able 
to  teach  and  to  explain  all  the  Bible. 


35^  KING  David's  son. 

"What  do  you  think  about  the  Christ?"  He  asked. 
"Whose  Son  is  He?" 

"The  Son  of  King  David,"  some  one  answered,  meaning 
that  the  Christ  would  be  descended  from  him. 

"  How  is  it,  then,"  Jesus  asked,  "  that  if  the  Christ  is 
King  David's  son.  King  David  should,  in  the  iioth  Psalm, 
call  Him  *  Lord,'  saying — 

"  '  The  Lord  said  to  my  Lord.' 

" '  Sit  Thou  on  My  right  hand,  till  I  make  Thine  enemies 
Thy  footstool  ? ' 

"If  King  David  calleth  the  Christ  'Lord,'  how  can  the 
Christ  be  his  Son?"  Now  this  was  a  very  confusing 
question,  for  no  Jew  would  ever  think  of  calling  his  son 
"  Lord,"  and  why  then  should  King  David  call  the  Christ 
"Lord,"  who  was  to  be  descended  from  him  hke  a  son? 
And  the  Lawyers  remained  silent,  for  they  could  not  answer 
the  question.  The  answer,  of  course,  is  that  King  David 
called  the  Christ  "Lord"  because  He  is  also  the  Son  of 
God.  And  thus  Jesus  showed  these  Lawyers  that  He  could 
put  questions  to  them  out  of  their  own  Bible,  that  with  all 
their  learning  they  were  not  able  to  answer.  And  they  were 
so  surprised  at  His  wonderful  knowledge  and  power  that 
from  that  Tuesday  neither  Lawyers,  Pharisees,  Herodians, 
Sadducees,  nor  any  other  of  His  enemies  ever  tried  to  catch 
Him  again  with  questions.  He  had  beaten  them  all  in  open 
discussion,  and  they  were  afraid  of  Him. 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  remember  what  is  the  whole 
duty  of  man, — to  love  God  and  love  men, — for  if  we  do 
these,  all  other  good  will  follow  from  them.  No  one  could 
be  cruel,  or  untruthful,  or  proud,  if  he  truly  loved  God  and 
loved  men  ;  and  remember  that  these  two  things  are  greater 
than  all  services  in  churches,  and  all  sermons,  and  even 
prayers,,  for  they  are  the  true  life- service  of  thy  spirit  toward 
God. 


SERPENTS,    VIPERS,    HYPOCRITES!  359 

SERPENTS,   VIPERS,   HYPOCRITES! 

JERUSALEM,    TUESDAY,   APRIL,   A.D.    34. 

Jesus  had  now  publicly  put  to  shame  the  Pharisees,  Herod- 
ians,  Sadducees,  Rulers,  Lawyers,  Priests.  Three  times  on 
that  Tuesday  they  had  tried  to  have  Him  stopped,  and  every 
time  He  had  defeated  them  before  the  people,  with  increasing 
force,  winning  praise  and  admiration  even  from  His  enemies. 
During  the  past  three  years  of  His  teaching  through  all  Judsea, 
Galilee,  Samaria,  and  the  Persea,  and  particularly  whenever 
He  came  to  Jerusalem,  the  Pharisees  and  Lawyers  had  watched 
Him  and  tried  to  entrap  Him  into  offences  for  which  He 
might  be  punished.  Their  highest  council  had  resolved  that  He 
should  be  killed,  and  had  issued  orders  to  the  people  to  help 
to  have  Him  taken  a  prisoner.  He  was  now  about  to  close 
His  teaching  in  that  grand  Temple.  Never  again  would 
His  voice  ring  through  the  beautiful  marble  arches  and 
the  pillars  of  its  porches,  and  out  into  the  great  crowded 
courts,  or  His  feet  tread  their  rich  coloured  pavements.  He 
had  met  and  defeated  His  enemies  again  and  again  in  different 
parts  of  the  country.  Now  He  was  about  to  denounce  and 
unmask  them  in  their  own  magnificent  Temple,  in  language 
which  would  fall  like  scourge  strokes  upon  them,  heaping 
upon  their  heads  many  of  the  severe  things  which  He  had  said 
about  them  throughout  the  country,  and  adding  more.  He 
knew  it  would  make  them  hate  Him  with  fiercer  hatred,  but 
He  had  made  up  His  mind  to  die,  in  order  to  finish  His 
work,  and  was  resolved  that  the  people  should  know  the  kind 
of  men  who  ruled  over  them  and  taught  them  falsely,  and  that 
they  should  carry  His  words  far  and  wide  away  from  this 
great  Festival  into  every  house  in  the  country. 

It  is  towards  the  afternoon.  The  sky  is  still  blue  overhead, 
but  broad  cool  shadows  are  cast  from  the  high  walls  and  towers 
of  the  Temple,  into  the  great  open  court.  The  porch  is 
thronged  with  dusky-faced  people,  who  have  followed  the  con- 
troversies of  that  day  with  increasing  interest,  amazed  at  and 
admiring   the  daring  of  this  young  Countryman,  who  could 


360  FATHER    OF    SPIRITS. 

speak  thus,  with  the  sentence  of  death  already  gone  out  against 
Him.  He  sits,  strong,  earnest,  beautiful,  clad  from  head  to 
foot  in  His  white  GaUlean  tunic.  His  dark  eyes  melting  at 
times  with  pity,  and  again  flashing  with  indignation  and  anger, 
while  around  Him  stand  His  weather-beaten  disciples,  them- 
selves young,  and  awestruck  with  His  fearless  bearing,  and  in 
a  wider  circle  still  are  His  wild,  excited,  and  determined 
Galilean  friends.  His  face  has  lost  some  of  the  ruddy  hue 
which  it  wore  amid  the  hills  of  Nazareth ;  but  His  voice  has 
still  its  wonderful  charm,  as  in  loud  tones  He  warns  all  who 
hear  Him,  disciples  and  people,  against  false  Teachers. 

"The  Lawyers  and  the  Pharisees,"  He  said,  "sit  in  the 
place  of  Moses  as  your  religious  Teachers.  Do  what  they  tell 
you,  obey  their  words ;  but  do  not  copy  their  deeds,  for  they 
speak  well,  but  do  ill.  Whatever  they  do,  they  do  it  to  be 
seen ;  for  they  like  to  walk  about  in  long  robes  and  to  wear 
broad  phylacteries,  as  a  show  of  goodness ;  they  like  to  be 
greeted  in  the  market,  and  to  sit  in  the  highest  seats  in  the 
church,  and  in  the  best  places  at  feasts ;  but  they  rob  widows' 
houses,  and  for  a  pretence  of  goodness  make  long  prayers ; 
but  they  shall  only  receive  the  greater  punishment."  Thus 
Jesus  calmly  warned  the  people  against  Teachers  who  taught 
one  thing  and  did  another;  the  only  true  Teacher  being  he 
who  does  what  he  tells  others  to  do. 

"These  Lawyers,"  Jesus  continued,  now  speaking  mainly 
to  His  disciples  and  those  close  about  Him,  "  like  to  be  called 
'  Teachers '  by  their  fellow-men ;  but  be  not  you  called 
Teachers,  fo  ■  I  alone  am  your  Teacher,  and  you  are  all 
brothers.  And  call  no  man  the  father  of  your  spirit,  for  One 
only  is  the  Father  of  your  spirit,  God  in  Heaven.  Neither  be 
called  *  Masters,'  for  I  alone  am  your  Master.  He  that  is 
greatest  among  you  shall  be  as  your  servant ;  whoever  setteth 
himself  up,  shall  be  brought  down ;  and  whoever  is  lowly, 
shall  be  raised  up,"  Thus  they  were  not  to  set  up  one  man 
over  another  in  religious  things,  for  in  such  matters  all  men 
are  equal  with  each  other  and  before  God.  There  were  to  be 
no  fathers,  teachers,  nor  masters  among  men  in  religion;  but 


THE    GOLD    OF    THE    TEMPLE.  36 1 

they  who  wished  to  help  others  in  such  things  were  to  be 
called  servants.  God  was  to  be  their  Heavenly  Father, 
Jesus  their  Teacher.  And  now  He  changed  His  manner,  as 
He  turned  from  His  disciples  to  the  Lawyers  and  Pharisees, 
who  had  come  back  again  to  listen,  His  voice  ringing  far  out 
into  the  crowded  court,  as  He  cried,  so  that  people  stopped 
to  listen. 

"  But  woe  to  you  !  ye  Lawyers  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  ! 
for  you  shut  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  against  the  people,  and 
neither  go  in  yourselves  nor  allow  them  that  are  entering,  to 
go  in.  You  would  go  over  land  and  sea  to  get  one  follower, 
and  when  you  have  got  him,  you  make  him  twice  more  a  child 
of  badness  than  yourselves."  Thus  He  touched  upon  the 
young  Pharisees  who  had  been  sent  by  their  masters  that 
forenoon,  to  praise  Him  with  lying  lips.  And,  speaking  of 
what  the  Pharisee  Teachers  taught,  He  showed  how  bad  was 
their  teaching  about  oaths. 

"Woe  to  you,  ye  blind  guides  !  "  He  said,  "who  teach  that 
a  man  who  sweareth  by  the  Temple,  is  not  bound  to  keep  his 
oath ;  but  that  he  is  bound,  if  he  sweareth  by  the  gold  of  the 
Temple.  You  fools  and  blind !  for  which  is  greater,  the 
Temple  or  the  gold  upon  the  Temple?  You  say  also  that 
whoever  sweareth  by  the  great  altar  in  the  Priests'  Court,  is 
not  bound,  but  whoever  sweareth  by  the  gift  upon  the  altar,  is 
bound.  You  fools  and  blind  !  for  which  is  greater,  the  gift, 
or  the  altar  which  maketh  the  gift  sacred?  Now,  whoever 
sweareth  by  the  altar,  sweareth  by  it,  and  by  all  that  is  upon 
it.  And  whoever  sweareth  by  the  Temple,  sweareth  by  it,  and 
God,  who  dwelleth  there.  And  whoever  sweareth  by  Heaven, 
sweareth  by  the  throne  of  God,  and  by  Him  who  sitteth 
upon  it."  Thus  Jesus  exposed  the  fooHsh  and  bad  teaching 
of  the  Pharisees  which  allowed  the  people  to  make  certain 
kinds  of  oaths ;  for  He  had  told  them  before  that  men  were 
not  to  swear  by  anything,  or  make  oaths  at  all,  and  that  all 
such  things  are  bad. 

"  Woe  to  you  !  ye  Lawyers  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  !  " 
He  resumed,  "you  are  blind  guides  who,  as  the   proverb 


362  STRAIN  OUT  THE  GNAT. 

saith,  'Strain  out  the  gnat  and  swallow  a  camel !'  " — meaning, 
that  they  were  very  particular  in  keeping  their  own  little  rules, 
but  that  they  broke  the  laws  of  God.  "  You  are  like  white- 
washed graves,"  He  continued,  "  which  look  clean  outside, 
but  inside  are  full  of  dead  men's  bones.  So  also  you  seem 
to  men  to  be  good,  but  are  really  wicked  hypocrites.  Woe 
to  you  !  ye  Lawyers  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  !  for  you  orna- 
ment the  graves  of  the  men  of  God  of  the  past,  saying  that  if 
you  had  lived  when  your  fathers  lived,  you  would  not  have 
killed  these  good  men.  But  you  are  true  sons  of  your  fathers 
who  killed  these  men.  Fill  up,  then,  to  the  brim,  the  measure 
of  your  fathers'  cruelty  !  You  serpents  !  You  children  of 
vipers  !  you  shall  not  escape  punishment !  " 

Jesus  said  much  more,  but  this  is  enough  to  show  how  He 
scourged  these  bad  men  before  the  people ;  and  it  is  a  remark- 
able sign  of  the  fear  of  the  priests  and  the  sympathy  of  the 
people,  that  He  was  not  once  interrupted  by  His  enemies  dur- 
ing this  scathing  attack  upon  the  Teachers,  some  of  whom  were 
at  that  moment  teaching  in  the  porches,  within  sight  and  hear- 
ing of  what  He  said ;  but  they  laid  by  His  words  in  their 
memories,  and  made  a  deep  resolution  not  to  rest  by  night  or 
by  day  till  they  had  Jesus  taken  a  prisoner  and  saw  Him  dead, 
for  they  knew  that  as  long  as  He  lived  He  would  continue  to 
speak  against  them.  And  these  words  of  Jesus  are  all  the 
more  terrible  and  impressive  that  they  came  from  One  so 
gentle  and  so  kind,  the  Friend  and  Lover  of  little  children. 
Still  He  had  nothing  but  scorn  and  anger  for  the  hypocrisy  of 
bad  men.  i  nd  so  truthfully  did  He  measure  these  false 
Teachers  that  the  word  "  Pharisee  "  has  since  become  only 
another  name  for  "  hypocrite." 

When  He  stopped  speaking,  many  of  the  people  went  away, 
and  as  they  went,  they  talked  over  the  manner  in  which  He 
had  denounced  the  Teachers  and  Pharisees,  and  many  shook 
their  heads,  thinking  that  soon  He  would  pay  for  this  with  His 
life  ;  but  they  did  not  know  that  He  whom  they  saw  that  day 
so  full  of  life  and  power  had  only  three  more  days  to  live. 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  remember  that  of  all  the  forms 


THE    widow's    farthing.  363 

of  wickedness,  hypocrisy  is  the  worst.  That  men  should 
teach  falsely  is  bad,  bat  that  men  should  pretend  to  teach 
good  things  and  be  good  men,  while  all  the  time  they  live 
bad  lives,  is  to  place  badness  in  the  seat  of  goodness,  and  to 
defile  the  very  springs  from  which  goodness  should  flow. 


THE    WIDOW'S    FARTHING. 

JERUSALEM,  TUESDAY,   APRIL,  A.D.    34. 

It  was  now  Tuesday  afternoon,  the  teaching  of  Jesus  in  the 
Temple  was  over,  and  the  sun  in  the  Western  sky,  that 
kindled  with  slanting  rays  on  the  golden  spikes  on  the  Holy 
place,  told  that  the  hour  was  near  when  the  services  would 
end  for  the  day  and  the  Temple  gates  be  closed.  Never 
again  would  Jesus  go  up  those  broad  marble  steps  that  rose 
from  court  to  court,  nor  pass  through  those  great  doors 
overlaid  with  gold.  As  He  went  out  of  the  Women's  Court, 
He  paused  at  that  part  called  the  Treasury,  where  were  the 
thirteen  large  money  chests,  into  which  the  people  put  their 
gifts  as  they  passed  into  the  Temple,  and  He  sat  down  for  a 
little  to  watch  the  people  there.  These  chests  were  placed 
along  the  wall,  to  gather  money  for  the  Temple  and  its  ser- 
vices, each  chest  having  a  name  upon  it,  saying  what  it  was 
for — "Incense,"  "Gold  dishes,"  "Wood,"  and  other  things; 
and  on  the  top  of  each  was  a  brass  mouth  shaped  like  a 
trumpet,  and  all  who  came  to  the  Temple  were  expected  to 
put  money  into  some  of  them. 

As  Jesus  sat  there.  He  saw  the  rich  Sadducee  with  his  fine 
robes,  come  forward  and  fling  in  a  handful  of  money,  looking 
round  him,  as  with  the  sound  of  gold  it  fell  ringing  into  the 
money-box ;  then  came  the  city  merchant,  who  carefully  dropped 
in  silver,  that  fell  pattering  on  the  gold  ;  and  country  people  too, 
who  slipped  in  heavy  copper  money,  that  fell  with  a  noisy  clang 
into  the  box.  But  Jesus  noticed  that  the  rich  made  far  more 
sound  and  show  with  their  money,  pouring  it  into  the  brass 
trumpets  from  a  height,  that  all  might  observe  that  they  gave 


364  MORE    THAN    THEY    ALL. 

gold,  and  He  could  plainly  see  that  those  who  were  rich  cast 
in  much  money.  While  He  looked,  a  poor  woman  came 
forward,  and  He  saw  from  her  dress  that  she  was  a  widow. 
Coming  timidly  up  to  the  boxes,  she  carefully  took  from  her 
pocket  two  copper  mites,  which  she  put  into  one  of  the  large 
brass  trumpets,  and  they  were  scarcely  heard,  as  they  fell 
tinkling  into  the  box,  for  they  were  so  thin  and  small  that  it 
takes  two  of  them  to  make  a  farthing ;  but  they  were  all  she 
had.  When  Jesus  saw  what  she  had  done,  and  how  differently 
she  gave  her  money  from  the  rich  men,  who  made  so  much 
show  of  their  giving.  He  said  to  His  disciples,  as  she  was 
going  away — 

"  I  tell  you  truly,  yonder  poor  woman  hath  cast  into  the 
Treasury  more  than  they  all ;  for  they  have  cast  in  money 
which  they  do  not  need,  but  she  who  needed  it  hath  cast  in 
all  the  money  she  hath,  even  all  that  she  hath  to  live  on."  He 
put  a  different  value  on  money  from  that  of  the  keepers  of  the 
Treasury.  They  valued  the  gift,  by  how  much  money  was 
given.  He  valued  it  by  how  much  the  giver  needed  the 
money  he  gave.  Those  who  did  not  need  the  gold  had  given 
but  a  small  gift,  while  she  who  gave  all  she  had  gave  much, 
though  it  was  but  one  farthing. 

Rising,  Jesus  passed  on  through  the  great  pillars  towards 
the  Beautiful  gate  of  cedar  wood  and  gold,  and  down  the 
broad  white  steps  that  led  into  the  large  outer  court  of  the 
Gentiles.  Before  Him  were  the  rows  of  coloured  pillars 
and  arches,  which  formed  Solomon's  magnificent  porch, 
while  rising  m  terraces  behind  Him  were  the  inner  Temple 
buildings  of  huge  stones,  with  the  Holy  place  of  gold  crown- 
ing the  whole.  He  was  going  out  of  the  Golden  Temple  for 
the  last  time,  and  His  disciples  knew  it. 

"Master,"  said  one  of  them,  "look  at  what  costly  stones, 
and  what  buildings  are  here  !  "  Now  the  buildings  were  as 
high  as  York  cathedral,  built  of  white  stones,  some  of  the  huge 
blocks  being  thirteen  yards  long  and  four  yards  thick,  while 
the  tall  pillars  were  of  different  coloured  marbles,  rare  and 
costly.     There  were  rich  gifts  also  in  the  Temple,  hung  upon 


CHILDREN    OF    LIGHT.  365 

the  walls  of  the  Priests'  Court,  the  gifts  of  kings  and  soldiers ; 
the  people  also  gave  more  money  to  the  Temple  than  the 
priests  could  spend,  so  that  a  law  had  to  be  made  to  limit 
their  giving.  This  magnificent  place  was  the  idol  of  the 
Jewish  people. 

"  Look  thou  at  these  great  buildings,"  Jesus  replied,  "  and 
at  all  these  things,  for  the  day  will  come  when  there  shall  not 
be  left  here  one  stone  standing  upon  another  that  shall  not  be 
thrown  down  !  "  The  disciples  did  not  expect  such  an  answer. 
Had  He  said  that  nothing  could  ever  throw  down  these  im- 
mense blocks,  they  would  have  believed  Him ;  and  yet  men 
who  go  to  that  place  now,  can  scarcely  tell  the  spot  where 
these  huge  stones  once  stood. 

These  were  the  last  words  of  Jesus  as  He  left  the  Temple  to 
go  down  through  the  streets  of  the  city  and  across  the  Kedron 
bridge  to  the  Mount  of  Olives. 

And  what  is  it  that  can  make  the  gift  of  a  farthing  richer 
than  a  gift  of  gold  ?  It  is  the  feeling  with  which  it  is  given. 
And  thus  the  rich  and  the  poor  stand  equal  before  Jesus,  for 
the  penny  of  a  child,  given  with  kindness,  is  more  than  the 
treasures  of  a  gold  mine  given  without  it. 

CHILDREN   OF   LIGHT. 

JERUSALEM,   TUESDAY,   APRIL,   A.D,    34. 

About  the  time  when  Jesus  was  leaving  the  Temple  for  the 
last  time,  some  strangers  came  wishing  to  speak  to  Him.  They 
were  foreigners,  Greeks,  who  had  come  to  the  great  Festival, 
for  they  had  given  up  their  own,  and  accepted  a  great  part  of 
the  Jewish  religion,  and  so  were  called  "proselytes,"  and  were 
allowed  into  the  outer  Court  of  the  Temple,  and  up  to  the 
marble  wall  that  divided  it,  but  no  further.  One  of  them 
knew  Philip,  whose  name  is  a  Greek  one,  and  they  found 
Him,  and  said — 

"  Sir,  we  wish  to  see  Jesus."  Now  Philip  was  not  sure 
about  bringing  these  strangers  to  Jesus,  after  all  that  had 
taken  place  that  day,  so  he  went  to  Andrew  and  told  him 


366  THE    TIME    IS    COMING. 

what  they  had  asked,  and  Andrew  thought  they  should  be 
taken,  and  they  brought  them  to  Jesus,  most  hkely  while  He 
was  still  upon  the  Mount  of  Ohves,  with  a  number  of  friends 
and  people.  The  coming  of  these  men  to  Jesus  moved  Him 
strangely  and  deeply,  and  made  Him  think  of  His  approaching 
death. 

"The  time  is  coming,"  He  exclaimed,  "when  I  shall  be 
glorified  !  I  have  told  you  truly,  that  unless  a  grain  of  wheat 
falleth  into  the  earth  and  dieth,  it  doth  not  increase ;  but  if  it 
falleth  into  the  earth  and  dieth,  it  shall  grow  and  have  much 
fruit" — meaning  that  His  death  would  cause  His  followers  to 
increase  greatly ;  and  He  proceeded  to  repeat  again  some  of 
the  things  which  He  had  told  the  people  in  other  places. 

"  Whoever  loveth  his  life,  shall  lose  it,"  He  said,  "  and 
whoever  hateth  his  life  in  this  world,  shall  keep  it  unto 
Heaven.  If  any  one  wisheth  to  serve  Me  let  him  follow  Me, 
and  where  I  am  there  shall  he  be  also,  and  God  will  honour 
him."  Thus  He  told  His  friends,  that  they  must  both  serve 
and  follow  Him,  even  through  the  dark  door  of  death  which 
was  now  so  near.  And  as  He  thought  of  death,  one  of  those 
rapid  painful  changes  came  over  Him,  which  sensitive  minds 
feel.  Not  fear,  not  regret,  but  a  strange  dread  of  the  horror 
of  death,  as  He  thought  how  time  was  sweeping  on,  years  into 
days,  hours,  minutes  !  And  with  clasped  hands  and  bowed 
head.  He  said,  as  though  talking  with  Himself — 

"  Now  is  my  Spirit  troubled — and  what  shall  I  say  ?  Shall 
I  say  ' Father,  save  me  from  this  hour  of  death?  '  "  And  He 
answered  Himself,  saying,  "  It  was  for  this  that  I  came  into 
the  world."  Then,  looking  up,  He  cried — "Father,  glorify 
Thy  name  !  "  The  people  who  were  there  heard  His  cry,  and 
in  the  silence  which  followed,  there  came  a  sound,  echoing 
down  the  sky,  until  it  passed  like  rolling  thunder  over  His 
head,  whi-ch  seemed  to  say — 

"  I  have  both  glorified  My  name,  and  will  glorify  it  again  ! " 
And  the  people  asked  in  whispers  of  each  other — 

"  What  is  it?  "  for  they  were  astonished.  And  some  said  it 
was  thunder,  and  others  said — > 


IF    I    BE    CRUCIFIED.  ^fi^ 

"Nay,  but  an  angel  hath  spoken  to  him."  And  Jesus, 
hearing  their  questions,  said — 

"  This  voice  did  not  come  for  My  sake,  but  for  your  sakes." 
And  then  He  spoke  again  about  His  coming  death  in  strange 
mysterious  language  such  as  I  have  spoken  of  before. 

*'  Now  is  the  judgment  of  this  world,"  He  said.  '^  Now 
shall  wickedness,  the  prince  of  this  world,  be  cast  out.  And 
/,  if  I  be  lifted  up,  will  df-aw  all  men  unto  Me^  Thus  re- 
peating what  He  had  said  elsewhere,  that  His  death  would 
not  be  defeat,  but  would  be  victory  over  wickedness,  and 
that  it  would  have  a  world-wide  influence  in  drawing  men  in 
love,  sympathy,  and  behef  to  Him.  The  people  understood 
that  He  was  now  speaking  of  Himself  as  the  Christ  whom 
all  the  Jews  expected,  and  some  one  exclaimed — 

"We  have  heard  out  of  the  Bible  that  when  the  Christ 
cometh.  He  shall  live  for  ever,  and  how  dost  Thou  say  that 
Thou  shalt  be  nailed  upon  a  wooden  cross  and  killed  ?  Who 
art  Thou?"  For  the  people  had  been  taught  that  the  Christ 
would  never  die,  but  be  their  King  for  ever.  Jesus  did  not 
answer ;  but  spoke  of  Himself  once  more  as  the  Light  of  the 
World. 

"  For  a  little  while  is  the  Light  with  you,"  He  said,  "  Walk 
while  you  have  the  Light,  lest  darkness  come  upon  you,  for 
he  that  walketh  in  darkness  knoweth  not  whither  He  goeth. 
While  you  have  the  Light,  believe  in  the  Light,  that  you  may 
be  the  children  of  Light."  Thus  He  spoke  of  His  Spirit  as 
Light,  the  Light  which  will  guide  every  man  who  walks  by  it. 
And  about  the  same  time  He  cried  loudly,  calling  Himself 
again  the  Light  of  the  World,  and  repeating  words  about  God 
and  Himself  which  He  had  said  at  other  times. 

"  Whoever  beheveth  on  Me,"  He  said,  "believeth  not  on 
Me  only,  but  on  God  who  sent  Me,  and  whoever  seeth  Me, 
seeth  also  God  who  sent  Me.  I  am  come  as  a  Light  into  the 
world,  that  whoever  believeth  in  Me,  may  not  live  in  dark- 
ness." And  now  He  gave  them  a  warning,  which  applies  to 
all  who  know  the  words  of  Jesus.  "  If  any  one  heareth  My 
words,  and  doth  not  obey  them,  I  do  not  condemn  him ;  for 


368  I    CAME    TO    SAVE    MEN. 

I  came  not  to  judge,  but  to  save  men.  But  all  who  reject 
Me,  and  will  not  believe  My  words,  have  something  that  will 
judge  them  :  the  very  words  which  I  have  spoken,  they  shall 
judge  them  in  the  last  day."  Thus  will  their  own  conscience 
blame  and  condemn  those  who,  having  heard  the  voice  of 
truth,  do  not  listen  to  it,  for  it  is  the  voice  of  God.  And 
Jesus  went  on  to  repeat  to  the  people  some  of  the  things  He 
said  in  the  Temple  not  long  after  He  began  to  teach  there — • 
that  His  words  were  a  message  from  God  which  He  was  sent 
to  deliver — 

"  I  have  spoken,"  He  said,  "  not  of  Myself,  but  God 
who  sent  Me,  telleth  Me  what  to  say,  and  I  know  that 
His  commandment  is  to  offer  you  Heaven.  The  things, 
therefore,  which  I  speak,  I  say  them  as  God  hath  told  them 
to  Me." 

These  are  His  last  words  of  teaching  to  the  people,  which 
have  come  down  to  us.  The  remainder  of  His  sayings  were 
spoken  to  His  disciples  and  friends  only.  He  now  withdrew 
from  among  the  people  that  they  might  go  away,  hiding  Him- 
self, most  likely  in  one  of  the  private  gardens  with  high  walls 
and  hedges,  that  were  on  the  slopes  of  Olivet  near  to  the  road 
from  the  Kedron  bridge.  What  would  the  Greeks  who  were 
brought  to  Him,  think  of  His  last  words?  Surely,  that  they 
had  never  heard  any  one  speak  like  Him  !  and  when  they 
came  to  hear  of  His  terrible  death,  they  would  remember  His 
strange  earnest  warnings.  But  there  were  other  people  there 
who  believed  on  Him,  and  among  them  were  some  of  the 
chief  ruleia  in  the  city  churches,  yet  they  were  afraid  to  say  so 
openly,  because  their  own  friends  the  Pharisees,  were  so  bitter 
against  any  man  of  position  who  sided  with  Jesus,  that  they 
would  have  put  them  out  of  their  churches ;  and  that  was  a 
punishment  of  which  all  leading  men  were  afraid,  for  it  was 
considered  a  great  disgrace.  And  many  of  the  common 
people  also  beheved  in  Him. 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  learn  a  lesson  from  these  chief 
rulers,  who  were  afraid  to  say  that  they  were  on  Jesus'  side. 
The  day  is  long  gone  by,  when,  to  say  thou  art  for  Jesus 


IN    CLOUDS    OF    GLORY.  369 

would  cause  thee  any  harm  in  England ;  yet  there  are  people 
who  will  laugh  at  thee  for  having  a  simple  trust  in  God  and 
in  all  that  Jesus  said.  But  I  hope  thou  wilt  never  fear  to 
confess  that  Jesus  is  thy  Friend  and  Guide,  and  that  thou  art 
glad  to  be  known  as  one  of  His  followers. 

IN   CLOUDS   OF   GLORY. 

JERUSALEM,  TUESDAY,  APRIL,  A.D.   34. 

Some  of  the  things  which  I  am  now  going  to  tell  thee,  thou 
hast  heard  before,  for  in  those  last  days  of  His  life  Jesus 
repeated  to  the  people  at  Jerusalem  many  things  which  He 
had  said  in  other  parts  of  the  country.  And  some  of  the 
things  which  I  shall  tell  thee  belong  to  those  wonderful  and 
mysterious  sayings  of  His,  about  the  end  of  the  world,  the  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem,  His  coming  again,  and  the  future, 
which  we  do  not  understand,  and  which  it  is  not  profitable  to 
guess  at. 

It  was  well  on  in  the  afternoon  of  Tuesday  when  He  went 
with  His  disciples  up  the  winding  path  by  the  Western  slope 
of  Olivet,  on  the  way  to  Bethany,  and  as  they  climbed  gradu- 
ally higher,  they  came  again  opposite  to  the  Temple,  which 
was  not  half  a  mile  distant  across  the  deep  Kedron  valley,  up 
from  whose  deeps  a  massive  white  wall  was  built  to  support 
the  splendid  buildings  that  stood  on  the  top.  And  Jesus  sat 
upon  the  green  side  of  Olivet  to  gaze  and  meditate.  The 
sun  was  going  down  over  the  great  busy  city,  striking  upon 
spike  and  plate  of  gold,  and  upon  dazzling  marble  of  Temple 
and  Palace,  while  afar  off,  the  distant  mountains  of  Judah  were 
fading  in  a  haze  of  rose  and  purple.  The  hill  on  which  He 
rested,  clad  in  its  natural  beauty  of  Spring  grass,  wild  flowers, 
and  boughs  of  the  silver  leaved  olive ;  the  hill  opposite,  with 
its  strong  walls  and  hundred  battle  towers,  its  rich  buildings 
and  thousands  of  lives ;  the  white  foaming  Kedron  in  the 
gloomy  gorge  below ;  the  hour  of  declining  day, — all  filled 
Him  with  strange  thoughts.  He  had  left  yonder  Temple  for- 
ever, and  as  He  sat,  retired  from  the  rest,  His  four  principal 


370  FALSE    CHRISTS. 

disciples — Peter,  James,  Andrew,  and  John — came  to  break 
His  reverie,  and  speak  with  Him  privately.  They  had  heard 
with  astonishment  what  He  said  when  leaving  the  Temple, 
about  the  huge  buildings  being  all  thrown  down. 

"  Master  !  "  they  said,  "  tell  us  when  these  things  shall  be, 
and  what  will  be  the  sign  that  they  are  coming?"  This  was 
almost  the  same  question  as  the  Pharisees  asked  Him  when 
He  was  leaving  the  Peraea,  and  He  answered  it  in  the  same 
way.  The  disciples  thought  that  the  end  of  the  world  would 
be  soon,  and  they  wished  to  know  the  exact  time  when  Jesus 
would  come  again,  if  He  were  killed ;  but  His  answer  was 
followed  by  such  strange  and  difficult  sayings  that  they  could 
not  understand  Him. 

"Take  care,"  He  said,  "that  you  are  not  led  astray;  for 
many  men  shall  come  using  My  name,  and  saying  that  they  are 
the  Christ,  and  that  the  end  is  near,  and  they  shall  lead  many 
wrong,  but  go  not  after  them.  If  any  man  shall  say  the  Christ 
is  here,  or  there,  do  not  believe  him ;  for  false  Christs  shall 
come,  and  false  prophets,  and  shall  show  great  signs  and 
wonders  in  order  if  possible  to  lead  even  my  chosen  followers 
astray.  Now  I  have  told  you  before  it  cometh.  If,  therefore, 
they  say  to  you  that  the  Christ  is  in  some  lonely  place,  go  not 
thither,  or  that  He  is  in  the  inner  room,  do  not  beUeve  it,  for 
as  the  lightning  in  the  sky  is  seen  from  the  East  to  the  West, 
so  shall  I  be  when  I  come."  His  disciples  were  still  hoping 
for  an  earthly  Kingdom  with  rewards  of  riches  and  of  power, 
and  He  went  on  to  warn  them  that  after  His  death  they  would 
not  have  p,  *ace,  but  would  rather  be  persecuted. 

"  When  you  hear  of  wars,"  He  said,  "  be  not  afraid. 
Nation  shall  fight  against  nation,  and  there  shall  be  famines, 
pestilences,  and  earthquakes  in  different  places,  with  terrors 
and  signs  from  the  skies  ;  but  these  will  be  only  the  beginning 
of  troubles."  Then  He  told  His  disciples,  who  had  now  all 
gathered  round  Him,  what  would  be  done  to  them  for  follow- 
ing Him,  saying,  as  He  said  to  them  in  Galilee — 

"  But  before  all  these  things,  men  shall  take  hold  on  you 
and  persecute  you,  giving  you  up  to  councils,  churches,  and 


THE    GOOD    TIDINGS    OF    HEAVEN.  37 1 

prisons ;  you  shall  be  beaten  in  churches,  and  they  shall  kill 
you,  and  you  shall  be  hated  by  all  nations  for  My  sake,  and 
before  governors  and  kings  you  shall  stand  as  My  witnesses. 
When  they  lead  you  away  and  deliver  you  up,  be  not  anxious 
in  your  hearts,  nor  think  beforehand  how  you  shall  answer 
them,  nor  what  you  shall  say,  but  speak  whatever  cometh  into 
your  minds  at  the  time,  for  it  is  not  you  that  speaketh,  but  the 
Spirit  of  God  that  speaketh  in  you.  For  I  will  give  you  words 
of  wisdom  which  all  your  opponents  shall  not  be  able  to  resist 
nor  overcome."  Thus  in  all  their  troubles  His  Spirit  would 
be  with  them  ;  but  He  again  reminded  them  that  they  would 
find  opposition  in  their  own  homes. 

"You  shall  be  given  up  even  by  your  fathers,  brothers, 
friends,  and  relations,  and  some  of  you  shall  be  put  to  death. 
Then  shall  many  go  wrong,  and  give  up  one  another,  and  hate 
one  another,  and  because  badness  hath  increased,  the  love  of 
many  shall  grow  cold ;  but  he  that  endureth  to  the  end  shall 
be  saved.  By  patience  you  shall  win  your  souls.  For  the 
good  tidings  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  shall  be  told  over 
the  whole  world  for  a  message  to  all  nations,  and  then  shall 
the  end  come."  He  now  came  to  speak  of  their  question,  the 
destruction  of  the  Temple. 

"  When  you  shall  see  Jerusalem  surrounded  with  soldiers, 
know  that  her  ruin  is  near.  Then  let  them  that  are  in  the 
low  country  of  Judaea  fly  to  the  safe  places  of  the  mountains, 
and  these  that  are  in  the  city  run  out,  and  those  that  are  in  the 
country  not  go  in.  For  then  will  be  the  days  of  punishment, 
when  all  the  things  that  are  written  of  Jerusalem  shall  happen. 
Pray  that  the  flight  from  that  city  be  not  in  Winter,  neither  on 
the  Sabbath,  when  men  travel  only  a  little  way ;  for  there 
shall  be  great  distress,  such  as  hath  never  been  since  the 
beginning  of  the  world,  nor  ever  shall  be.  There  shall  be 
distress  upon  the  land  and  wrath  on  the  people,  for  they  shall 
be  slain  with  the  sword,  and  taken  away  prisoners  into  other 
nations,  and  Jerusalem  shall  be  trodden  down  by  strangers 
until  the  time  of  their  occupation  shall  be  fulfilled."  Thus 
He  spoke  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  which,  when  it  did 


372  HOLD    UP    YOUR    HEADS. 

come,  was  the  most  terrible  destruction  of  a  city  that  has  ever 
been.  Last  of  all,  He  told  them  of  other  things,  the  meaning 
of  which  it  is  useless  for  thee  to  attempt  to  understand,  or  even 
to  guess  at. 

"  There  shall  be  signs  in  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,"  He 
said ;  ''  the  sun  shall  grow  dark,  the  moon  shall  not  give  light, 
the  stars  shall  fall,  and  the  powers  of  the  skies  shall  be  shaken. 
Upon  the  earth  shall  be  distress  of  nations,  and  fear  and 
doubt,  because  of  the  roaring  and  billows  of  the  sea,  men 
fainting  with  fear  of  the  things  about  to  come  upon  the  world. 
Then  shall  they  see  Me  coming  in  the  clouds  with  power  and 
great  glory.  And  I  will  send  out  My  angels  with  a  trumpet 
of  great  sound,  and  they  shall  gather  together  My  followers 
from  the  furthest  parts  of  the  earth  to  the  furthest  parts  of 
Heaven.  And  when  these  things  happen,  look  up  and  hold 
up  your  heads,  because  your  deliverance  is  near." 

His  disciples  had  asked  to  know  hidden  things,  and  there, 
sitting  under  the  whispering  leaves,  with  the  glory  of  the 
setting  sun  upon  His  face,  Jesus  told  them  mysteries.  One 
thing  was  plain,  that  His  death  was  not  to  be  followed  by  His 
throne  being  set  up  in  Jerusalem,  and  all  nations  being  put 
under  Him,  as  they  still  hoped.  First  the  disciples  themselves 
were  to  be  beaten  and  slain,  from  cottage  to  palace,  then 
Jerusalem  was  to  be  destroyed,  and  in  time,  after  there  had 
been  many  wars,  and  the  whole  earth  was  at  peace,  and  the 
message  of  Heaven  had  been  carried  to  all  nations,  the  end 
would  come.  A  strange,  lurid  phantasmagoria,  incompre- 
hensible, anO  without  a  key. 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  learn  from  the  words  of  Jesus  to 
His  disciples,  that  if  ever  thou  art  called  upon  to  speak  in 
His  name,  not  to  prepare  what  thou  art  to  say.  If  thou  art 
to  speak  at  all,  God's  Holy  Spirit  will  give  thoughts  to  thy 
mind  and  words  to  thy  lips ;  for  it  is  idle  to  speak  in  thy  own 
wisdom,  without  His  Spirit  teaching  thee,  and  if  thou  hast 
the  Spirit  of  Jesus  thou  hast  all. 


LEARN    OF    THE    FIG    TREE.  373 

LEARN    OF    THE    FIG    TREE. 

JERUSALEM,   TUESDAY,   APRIL,    A.D.    34, 

Jesus  sat  at  sundown  on  the  Mount  of  Olives  with  His  dis- 
ciples looking  across  at  the  beautiful  Temple,  and  while  they 
were  still  amazed  and  wondering  at  the  strange  things  which 
they  had  heard  from  Him,  He  told  them  some  more  short, 
simple  stories.  It  was  the  time  of  year  when  the  slopes  of 
Olivet  were  at  their  freshest,  in  garden,  field,  and  grove,  and 
where  they  sat  they  were  surrounded  by  mulberry,  olive,  fig, 
oak,  cypress,  pine,  myrtle,  and  cedar  trees,  of  all  tints  of  leaf- 
age, from  dark  green  to  golden  yellow,  some  in  full  leaf,  some 
only  bursting  their  buds  ;  and  on  the  sunny  slopes  below,  were 
the  king's  gardens  brilliant  with  flowers. 

"  Look  at  the  fig  tree,"  Jesus  said,  "  and  all  the  trees,  and 
from  the  fig  tree  learn  her  story.  Her  branch  has  now  become 
tender,  and  her  buds  are  putting  forth  green  leaves.  When 
the  trees  put  out  their  tender  leaves,  you  can  see  it  for  your- 
selves and  know  that  Summer  is  near."  The  disciples  were 
men  from  the  country,  who  knew  that  one  of  the  surest  signs 
of  Summer  is  when  green  leaves  are  upon  the  tree.  "  So," 
Jesus  continued,  "  when  you  see  these  things  happening  of 
which  I  have  told  you,  know  that  the  end  is  near,  even  at  the 
door,  for  truly  I  say  to  you  that  there  are  men  living  now  who 
will  not  be  dead  before  these  things  will  have  happened.  The 
earth  and  skies  shall  pass  away,  but  my  words  shall  not  pass 
away.  But  of  that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no  man,  not  even 
the  angels  in  Heaven,  but  God  only.  Watch,  therefore,  for 
you  know  not  when  your  Lord  shall  come." 

He  told  them  also  another  short  story,  one  of  warning  to 
them  to  live  good  lives,  so  that  the  dread  hour  of  death,  of 
which  none  knoweth  the  time,  should  not  find  them  unprepared  ; 
for  to  each  man  death  is  the  coming  of  Jesus,  and  the  passing 
away  of  earth  and  sky. 

"Be  careful,"  Jesus  said.  "Watch  and  pray,  for  you  do 
not  know  the  time  nor  the  day  when  God  will  come.  Be- 
ware, lest  your  hearts  be  taken  up  with  feasting  and  drink- 


374  WATCH.       ^ 

ing  and  the  things  of  this  Hfe,  and  that  day  come  upon  you 
suddenly,  catching  you  as  in  a  snare ;  for  so  it  shall  be  to 
all  people.  But  watch  always,  and  pray  that  you  may  escape 
these  things,  and  stand  before  Me.  Be,  then,  like  the 
faithful  and  wise  servant  whom  his  master  put  in  charge  of 
his  whole  house,  to  give  the  other  servants  their  food  at  proper 
times?  Blessed  is  he  if  his  master,  when  he  cometh,  shall 
find  him  doing  so,  for  he  will  give  him  charge  over  all  that 
he  hath. 

"  It  is,"  He  continued,  "  as  if  a  master  were  to  leave  his 
house  and  go  away  on  a  journey  into  another  country,  giving 
power  to  his  servants,  and  to  each  one  his  work  to  do,  and 
telling  the  door-keeper  to  watch.  Watch,  therefore,"  Jesus 
added  earnestly  to  His  listening  disciples — "  for  you  do  not 
know  when  the  Master  shall  come,  perhaps  at  evening,  or 
midnight,  or  when  the  cock  crows  at  dawn,  or  in  the  bright 
morning.  What  if  He  should  come  suddenly  and  find  you 
sleeping  ?  What  I  say  to  you.  My  disciples,  I  say  to  all  men. 
Watch  !  "  He  had  told  them  before,  that  His  death  would 
be  like  a  master  going  away  upon  a  journey  to  return  again, 
and  that  they  must  teach  and  work  as  He  had  taught  them 
to  do  during  the  years  that  He  had  lived  with  them ;  and 
now,  four  days  before  His  death,  He  repeated  it,  with  warnings 
more  solemn  than  ever. 

And  thou,  my  child,  mayest  wonder  what  thou  art  to 
watch  for.  Is  it  for  wars,  famines,  dark  miseries,  sieges 
of  Jerusalem,  falling  stars,  or  what?  Thou  needest  trouble 
thyself  wii.i  none  of  these  things,  but  thou  must  watch  and 
pray  and  keep  thy  heart  pure,  a  little  temple  of  Heaven 
in  which  dwelleth  God's  Holy  Spirit,  so  that  when  death 
cometh  it  may  be  to  thee  a  white-robed  angel,  sent  to  take 
thee  to  that  Heaven  beyond  of  which  Jesus  hath  told  thee  so 
much. 

He  leadeth  me,  Oh  happy  thought ! 
And  words  with  heavenly  comfort  fraught, 
Where'er  I  am,  whate'er  I  be, 
By  His  own  hand  He  leadeth  me. 


THE    TEN    BRIDESMAIDS.  375 

THE   TEN   BRIDESMAIDS. 

JERUSALEM,  TUESDAY,   APRIL,  A.D.    34. 

As  Jesus  sat  on  Olivet,  looking  over  the  deep  ravines  of 
crag,  cliff,  and  tree  that  surrounded  the  city  of  Jerusalem, 
whose  walls  cast  gloomy  shadows  into  the  deep  Kedron 
vale,  and  over  on  the  Mount,  He  told  His  disciples  another 
story  with  a  meaning,  and  it  was  about  ten  young  girls  who 
were  bridesmaids.  In  that  country  it  was  the  custom  for 
the  bride  to  ask  a  number  of  her  young  friends  to  be  her 
maids  at  the  wedding,  just  as  they  do  in  England ;  but 
bridesmaids  got  much  more  to  do  there.  It  was  part  of 
their  duty  to  watch  in  the  bride's  house,  and  be  ready  to 
go  out  dressed  in  gay  white  dresses,  with  their  hair  floating 
loose  on  their  shoulders,  and  wreathed  with  flowers,  to 
welcome  the  bridegroom,  and  dance  before  him,  as  they 
brought  him  into  the  house,  with  music  of  pipes  and  cymbals, 
praising  the  bride,  their  young  companion,  in  songs,  and 
telHng  him  how  lovely  she  was.  If  he  came  at  night,  they 
had  to  go  out  all  the  same,  each  carrying  a  pole  with  a 
little  lamp  hanging  from  it,  to  light  the  way.  It  was  common 
for  ten  of  the  bride's  young  companions  to  do  this,  and  as 
she  was  usually  about  fifteen  years  old,  her  bridesmaids  would 
be  younger  still.  It  was  of  this  pretty  joyous  custom  which 
Jesus  spoke  in  His  story. 

The  coming  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  He  said,  is 
Hke  ten  young  bridesmaids,  who  took  their  lighted  lamps 
and  went  out  at  night  to  meet  the  bridegroom.  Five 
of  them  were  fooHsh,  and  five  were  wise.  Now  the  five 
fooHsh  maidens  took  no  oil  with  them  when  they  took  their 
lamps,  but  the  wise  ones  took  oil  in  bottles  along  with  their 
lamps.  They  had  gone  out  a  good  way  upon  the  road  to 
meet  the  bridegroom,  and  as  he  did  not  come,  they  went 
into  a  house  to  wait  for  him,  but  he  was  long  in  coming, 
and  it  grew  very  late,  and  while  they  waited  the  young 
bridesmaids  fell  fast   asleep,  leaving  their  lamps  still   burn- 


376  THE    BRIDEGROOM    COMETH. 

ing.  But  at  midnight,  some  one  came  in  from  the  road 
crying — • 

"  The  bridegroom  cometh  !  Come  out  to  meet  him."  He 
had  heard  the  voices  of  the  young  men  in  the  distance 
who  were  bringing  the  bridegroom,  and  perhaps  had  seen 
their  Hghted  torches.  Then  all  the  bridesmaids  rose  in  haste, 
and  began  to  trim  their  lamps,  pricking  up  the  wicks,  and 
pouring  in  oil,  to  make  the  flame  burn  brightly. 

"  Give  us  some  of  your  oil,"  the  foolish  maidens  said  to 
the  wise  ones,  "  for  our  lamps  have  gone  out,  and  we  have  no 
oil  to  pour  into  them?  "     But  the  wise  maidens  replied — 

"Perhaps  there  will  not  be  enough  for  both  of  us.  Go 
rather  to  the  people  that  sell  oil  and  buy  some  for  yourselves." 
Then  the  five  foolish  maidens  went  out  to  find  some  one 
who  would  sell  them  oil ;  and  while  they  were  away,  the 
bridegroom  came,  and  they  were  not  there  to  meet  him.  But 
the  five  wise  maidens  met  him  with  their  lamps  burning 
brightly,  and  danced  before  him,  and  lighted  the  way  to  the 
bride's  house,  and  went  in  with  him  to  the  wedding  supper, 
and  the  door  was  shut.  And  all  was  light  and  joy,  for  the 
door  was  the  door  of  Heaven,  all  glittering  within,  but  dark 
without. 

After  a  time,  the  five  foolish  bridesmaids,  having  got  oil, 
lit  their  lamps,  and  hurried  on  to  overtake  the  others ;  with  no 
dance  or  song,  but  with  sinking  hearts,  which  are  so  heavy 
for  young  people  to  bear.  They  were  lonely  and  afraid,  in  the 
darkness  which  pressed  around  them  and  which  their  small 
lamps  could  not  dispel,  and  when  they  found  the  door  of  the 
bride's  house,  it  was  shut,  dark,  and  gloomy,  for  all  were  in  but 
they ;  and  pressing  against  it  in  terror,  they  cried — 

"  Lord  !  Lord  !  open  to  us  !  "  But  the  answer  that  came 
from  witi  in  was  from  the  bridegroom — 

"  Truly  I  say  to  you,  I  do  not  know  you."  And  the  five 
foolish  maidens  had  to  go  away  into  the  darkness.  Thus 
ended  the  story  of  the  ten  bridesmaids,  and  Jesus  added  these 
warning  words  to  His  disciples,  "  Watch,  therefore,  for  you 
know  not  the  time  when  you  shall  be  called." 


THE    SILVER    TALENTS.  377 

Jesus  also  told  the  disciples  another  story  about  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven  as  they  sat  on  the  hillside  that  evening,  called 
"  The  Silver  Talents j'  but  as  it  is  almost  word  for  word  the 
same  as  the  story  of  "  The  Founds, ^^  which  He  told  in 
Zacchaeus's  house  at  Jericho  less  than  a  week  before,  I  will 
not  give  thee  it  all  over  again.  It  was  told  to  impress  more 
and  more  upon  His  disciples  that  although  He  was  going 
away,  they  were  to  work  with  the  power  which  He  had  given 
them,  like  faithful  servants  for  an  absent  master  in  the  King- 
dom which  He  had  spread  among  men.  In  this  story  He 
said  the  master  lent  one  servant  five  silver  talents,  another 
two,  and  another  one,  according  as  they  were  clever  or  not. 
Now  a  silver  talent  was  worth  about  two  hundred  English 
pounds.  And  the  first  two  servants  traded  with  the  money 
and  had  doubled  it  by  the  time  the  master  came  back,  but  the 
third  servant  buried  his  silver  talent  in  the  ground,  and  did 
nothing.  To  the  good  servants,  on  his  return  home,  the 
master  said,  "  Enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord,"  but  he 
ordered  the  lazy,  idle  servant  to  be  punished,  in  the  same  way 
as  the  bad  servant  in  the  story  of  the  pounds.  But  the  word 
"  talent "  has  now  got  to  have  a  higher  meaning  than  money. 
We  have  all  talents.  Thy  talents  are,  all  the  advantages  and 
powers  which  thou  dost  possess  of  mind  and  heart  and  body, 
as  well  as  wealth  and  position.  These  things  are  the  talents 
which  God  has  entrusted  to  thee  to  use  in  doing  good  all  the 
days  of  thy  Hfe. 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  remember  that  there  are  two  ways 
of  doing  wrong,  one  way  is  by  trying  to  do  it,  and  the  other  is 
by  being  thoughtless  and  careless ;  the  one  is  wickedness,  the 
other  fooHshness.  These  foolish  young  maidens  did  not 
think  of  oil.  If  they  had  been  at  all  anxious  about  what  they 
were  doing,  they  certainly  would  have  taken  enough  ;  but 
they  were  careless ;  pleased  more  with  twining  flowers  in 
their  hair.  Remember,  then,  that  the  boy  who  kills  a 
sparrow  with  a  stone,  may  say  he  did  not  think  he  would 
hit  it,  but  the  bird  is  dead,  and  nothing  can  make  it  alive 
again. 


378  HUNGRY,    AND    YOU    FED    ME. 

HUNGRY,   AND   YOU   FED   ME. 

JERUSALEM,   TUESDAY,   APRIL,   A.D.    34. 

It  was  now  almost  sundown,  which  is  followed  very  quickly 
by  darkness  in  that  country.  The  evening  skies  in  the  West 
were  barred  with  crimson,  rose,  and  saffron,  through  which 
the  sun  darted  level  rays  of  gold  at  the  pinnacles  of  the  Holy 
place,  while  the  shadows  cast  by  the  Temple  crept  swiftly  to 
the  top  of  Olivet.  Jesus  could  not  remain  any  longer ;  and 
we  now  come  to  His  last  story,  and  of  all  the  strange  and 
wonderful  things  which  He  told  the  disciples  there,  this  story 
about  Heaven  after  death,  and  the  vision  of  Judgment,  is  the 
strangest  and  most  difficult  to  understand.  In  it  He  spoke  of 
sitting  upon  a  throne  surrounded  by  angels,  with  all  the 
people  who  have  ever  lived  standing  before  Him.  He  had 
already  told  the  disciples  to  use  their  powers  in  doing  good, 
and  to  watch  and  pray,  and  now  He  spoke  of  His  coming 
again. 

"  When  I  shall  come  in  My  glory,"  He  said,  "  with  all  the 
angels  of  Heaven,  then  shall  I  sit  upon  a  throne  of  glory,  and 
before  Me  shall  be  gathered  all  the  people  of  the  world,  and  I 
will  separate  them  one  from  another  as  a  shepherd  separateth 
the  sheep  from  the  goats,  and  put  the  good  people  on  My 
right  hand,  and  the  bad  people  on  My  left.  Then  shall  I,  the 
King  of  Heaven,  say  to  them  on  My  right  hand — 

"  '  Come,  you  blessed  of  My  Father,  enter  the  Kingdom 
prepared  fdr  you  from  the  beginning  of  the  world.  For  I  was 
hu7tgry,  and  y  oil  gave  Me  food;  thirsty,  and  you  gave  Me  water; 
a  stranger y  and  you  took  Me  in  ;  naked,  aiid  you  clothed  Me  ; 
sick,  and  ill  prison,  and  you  visited  Me'  "  Now,  all  truly  kind 
things  which  good  people  do,  are  done  without  hope  of  praise 
or  reward,  only  through  kindness ;  and  Jesus  went  on  to 
say  that  the  good  people  would  reply  to  Him  in  astonishment, 
saying — 

"  '  Lord  !  when  did  we  see  Thee  hungry,  and  fed  Thee?  or 
thirsty,  and  gave  Thee  water?  or  a  stranger,  and  took  Thee  into 


SUNSET    ON    OLIVET.  379 

our  homes  ?  or  naked,  and  clothed  Thee  ?  or  sick  or  in  prison, 
and  came  to  Thee  ? '  "  Comparatively  few  of  the  good  people 
of  the  world  saw  Jesus  as  He  went  about  in  that  far-distant 
country.     And  Jesus  continued — 

*'  Then  I,  the  King,  will  answer  these  righteous  ones,  and 
say,  *  Because  you  did  it  to  one  of  the  least  of  My  followers, 
it  is  as  though  you  did  it  to  Me.'  "  Thus  He  showed  that 
to  be  kind  to  one  of  His  followers,  is  hke  being  kind  to 
Him.  And  He  went  on  to  tell  them  that  He  would  turn  to 
the  people  on  His  left  hand,  who  had  no  such  happy  memo- 
ries, and  say — 

"  '  Go  away  from  Me,  you  bad  people,  into  the  punishment 
which  is  prepared  for  the  spirit  of  evil  and  his  followers  ;  for  I 
was  hungry,  and  you  gave  Me  no  meat ;  thirsty,  and  you  gave 
Me  no  water ;  a  stranger,  and  you  did  not  take  Me  in ;  naked, 
and  you  did  not  clothe  Me ;  sick  and  in  prison,  and  you  did 
not  come  to  Me.'  "  These  are  woeful  words  ;  and  Jesus  told 
His  disciples  what  the  answer  would  be. 

"  '  Lord  ! '  they  would  say,  '  when  did  we  see  Thee  hungry, 
or  thirsty,  or  a  stranger,  or  naked,  or  sick,  or  in  prison, 
and  did  not  help  Thee?'"  But  the  same  reply  which 
made  the  good  people  happy  would  make  the  bad  people 
miserable. 

" '  Truly,  I  say,  that  because  you  did  not  do  it  to  one  of  the 
least  of  these  My  followers,  you  did  it  not  to  Me.'  "  And 
indeed,  there  are  many  people  who  saw  Jesus  as  He  walked 
about  in  Galilee,  spreading  His  Kingdom  among  men,  foot- 
sore, thirsty,  hungry,  and  heard  Him  speak,  and  many  who 
have  not  seen  Him,  have  heard  His  voice  whispering  to 
them,  and  have  read  of  Him,  but  have  not  done  one  kind  thing 
for  His  sake.  His  story  seemed  to  open  the  door  of  Heaven  to 
His  disciples  as  He  spoke,  but  He  shut  the  scene  with  those 
awful  words  which  we  shall  never  understand  in  this  world. 
"  And  the  bad  shall  go  away  into  never  ending  punishment, 
and  the  good  into  Heaven." 

This  is  the  last  of  His  marvellous  sayings  upon  Olivet 
The  red  sun  had  sunk  behind  the  distant  hills,  and  the  lights 


380  LAST    WALK    TO    BETHANY. 

of  the  city  were  twinkling  forth  across  the  valley,  as  the 
shadows  of  night  falling  into  the  gulf  of  the  Kedron,  grew 
darker  still,  where  in  the  deeper  distance  the  vales  of  Kedron 
and  Hinnom  mingled  in  rugged  gloom — a  scene  of  black 
rocks  and  night  shadows.  And  the  birds  were  hushed  as  He 
walked  for  the  last  time,  after  His  long  and  tiring  day,  over 
the  shoulder  of  the  hill  to  Bethany's  cottage  among  the  green 
fig  trees.  And  as  they  went,  their  pathway  lighted  by  the 
shadowy  moon,  Jesus  told  the  disciples  again  in  a  few  simple 
words  that  His  death  was  near. 

"You  know,"  He  said,  "  that  in  two  days  is  the  Festival  of 
the  Passover,  and  I  shall  be  given  up  to  be  crucified." 
"  Crucified  !  "  each  would  exclaim  in  a  whisper.  Our  loving 
Master,  so  young,  so  kind.  Crucified  !  These  hands,  these 
feet,  nailed  to  a  coarse  wooden  cross  !  They  could  not  bring 
themselves  to  believe  that  the  hatred  of  His  enemies  would 
go  so  far,  for  that  was  how  the  very  worst  criminals  in  the  land 
were  put  to  death.  But  Jesus  knew  that  His  enemies  would 
mete  out  to  Him  the  most  cruel  death. 

While  Jesus  rested  with  His  disciples  on  Olivet  that  after- 
noon, a  very  different  kind  of  meeting  was  being  held  in 
Jerusalem.  After  the  failures  of  the  day,  as  soon  as  the 
Temple  services  were  over,  Caiaphas,  the  Chief  Priest,  called 
together  the  priests  and  elders  to  meet  him  in  his  palace  on 
Mount  Zion,  the  high  and  fashionable  part  of  the  town,  there 
to  consider  what  should  be  done  regarding  Jesus.  Those 
who  had  been  defeated  that  day  in  the  controversies  in  the 
Temple,  tOid  it  all  over  again  to  the  others,  and  the  question 
was.  How  long  was  this  to  continue  ?•  When  would  it  be  safe 
for  them  to  have  Jesus  taken  a  prisoner  and  put  to  death,  as 
they  had  resolved  so  long  ago  to  do?  After  some  talk,  it 
was  settled  that,  seeing  the  people  were  so  much  on  His  side, 
they  shQuld  leave  Him  alone  for  one  week  more,  until  the 
Festival  was  over,  and  His  friends  the  exciteable  Galileans 
had  left  the  city  for  their  distant  homes.  Then  they  would 
have  Him  taken  a  prisoner,  but  not  by  force  openly,  for  fear 
of  the  people  rescuing  Him,  but  taken  in  some  quiet  place. 


SHE    DID    WHAT    SHE    COULD.  38 1 

And  so  they  went  home,  not  intending  to  do  anything  for 
eight  days. 

Thou  wilt  not  be  able  to  understand  the  full  meaning  of 
this  strange  story,  but  part  of  it  thou  canst  easily  grasp.  As 
a  httle  follower  of  Jesus,  thou  art  to  be  kind  to  all  people  in 
distress,  whether  hungry,  sick,  or  naked.  Do  to  them  as  thou 
wouldst  that  they  should  do  to  thee  if  thou  wert  in  the  same 
sad  state ;  and  if  thou  canst  not  do  much,  thou  canst  always 
think  and  speak  kindly  of  them,  and  thou  wilt  do  so  for  the 
sake  of  Jesus,  whose  Spirit  is  Love  and  Gentleness. 


SHE   DID    WHAT   SHE   COULD. 

BETHANY,  WEDNESDAY,  APRIL,  A.D.   34. 

Jesus  did  not  go  to  the  Temple  on  Wednesday,  but  re- 
mained quietly  with  His  friends  in  Bethany.  The  priests 
blew  their  silver  trumpets,  and  flung  open  the  brazen  gates 
in  the  morning,  and  cast  sweet  incense  on  the  altar  fire  in  the 
Holy  place,  and  the  people  came  in  crowds  seeking  Jesus,  but 
He  was  not  there.  He  was  behind  the  green  hill  of  Olivet, 
perhaps  walking  in  the  fields  with  His  mother,  who  had  come 
up  from  Galilee,  and  telling  her  that  soon  He  would  be  killed. 
And  people  who  missed  Him  from  the  Temple  came  over  the 
hill  and  found  Him  in  Bethany,  and  told  Him  of  the  meeting 
of  priests  in  the  palace  the  night  before ;  for  He  had  friends 
among  the  chief  men.  Thus  He  and  His  disciples  heard  that 
the  priests  wished  to  have  Him  taken  secretly  in  a  way  that 
would  not  rouse  the  people. 

That  evening  a  supper  was  given  to  Jesus  by  His  friends  at 
Bethany,  in  the  house  of  one  called  Simon.  Martha  helped 
to  prepare  it,  but  Mary  watched  Jesus  with  loving  eyes,  and 
spent  much  of  her  time  in  listening  to  His  words.  Some  days 
before,  she  had  formed  a  plan,  and  was  waiting  to  carry  it  out. 
Like  Mary  Magdalene,  she  wondered  what  she  could  do  to 
show  her  love  for  Him.  She  knew  that,  as  a  sign  of  honour 
to  kings  and  great  persons,  it  was  a  usual  thing  to  pour  sweet 


382  ALABASTER    AND    SPIKENARD. 

smelling  oil  upon  their  heads  before  the  people,  and  she  re- 
solved that  this  was  how  she  would  show  her  love  for  Jesus. 
Taking  money,  she  went  into  Jerusalem  to  a  shop  where 
sweet  perfumes  were  sold,  and  bought  a  flask  of  the  rarest 
Indian  ointment  she  could  get,  made  from  the  spikenard 
plant  that  grows  high  upon  mountains,  and  the  flask  in  which 
it  was  sealed  was  of  thin  shining  alabaster,  brittle  and  white  as 
snow.  The  price  of  this  flask  of  precious  perfume  was  about 
ten  pounds  of  our  money,  for  it  contained  about  a  pound 
weight  of  rich  perfume  ;  and  she  carried  it  home  secretly,  and 
hid  it. 

The  table  was  spread  for  the  supper,  and  the  guests  had 
taken  their  places  on  the  low  couches  round  it,  with  Lazarus 
there  also,  and  while  Martha  served,  Mary  stood  back  watching 
Jesus.  Soon  something  in  the  conversation  told  her  that  now 
was  the  time  to  do  what  she  intended.  Leaving  her  place, 
she  went  round  the  table  to  where  Jesus  was,  and  taking  the 
white  alabaster  flask  from  the  folds  of  her  dress,  and  bending 
down  behind  Him,  she  broke  the  slender  flask  between  her 
hands,  and  poured  the  precious  perfume  upon  His  head,  and 
then  going  to  His  feet  with  the  dripping  flask,  she  poured 
what  was  left  of  the  perfume  upon  His  feet ;  and  soon  the 
whole  house  was  filled  with  the  rich  smefl  of  the  spikenard. 
But  that  was  not  all,  for  kneeling  down,  she  loosed  her  bright 
hair  and  wiped  His  feet  with  her  hair,  as  Mary  Magdalene 
had  done  ;  and,  drawing  back,  she  stood  with  blushing  cheeks 
behind  Him,  but  not  afraid,  for  she  was  among  her  own 
friends.  Ytt  the  guests  thought  it  strange  that  the  youth- 
ful Mary  should  do  this ;  pouring  out  costly  perfume  so 
lavishly.  And  there  was  one  who  was  angry,  when  he 
saw  the  precious  spikenard  running  upon  the  floor  and 
lost. 

''Why.  was  not  this  ointment  sold  for  three  hundred 
pence,  and  given  to  the  poor?"  grumbled  Judas  Iscariot, 
as  he  frowned  angrily  at  Mary.  He  was  treasurer  for  the 
disciples,  and  wished  that  the  money  had  been  given  into 
his  care,  for   he  loved  money,  and  was  not  honest.     And 


THIRTY    PIECES    OF    SILVER.  383 

some  of  the  guests  thought  Judas  spoke  sensibly  in  chiding 
Mary  for  this  apparent  waste,  and  they  said  to  her — 

"  For  what  purpose  hath  this  waste  of  ointment  been 
made?"  And  others  also  spoke  harshly  to  her  as  she  stood, 
now  trembling  and  afraid,  with  her  tearful  eyes  looking  to 
Jesus.  She  had  meant  to  do  a  good  thing,  but  they  said  she 
had  done  wrong.     What  would  He  say  ? 

"  Let  her  alone,"  said  Jesus  sternly  to  Judas,  in  a  tone 
which  showed  him  that  He  knew  how  mean  was  the  motive 
for  his  harsh  words  to  Mary.  "  She  hath  done  a  good  thing 
to  Me,"  He  continued.  "The  poor  you  have  always  with 
you,  and  whenever  you  wish,  you  can  do  them  good,  but  Me 
you  shall  not  always  have."  Then  looking  from  the  frown- 
ing Judas  to  the  blushing  maiden.  He  said,  "  She  hath  done 
what  she  could.  She  hath  anointed  Me,  preparing  Me  before- 
hand, for  burial."  And  turning  to  the  rest,  He  said  these 
words,  which  filled  Mary  with  wonder  and  astonishment, 
"  I  say  truly,  that  wherever  My  teaching  is  preached  through- 
out the  whole  world,  what  this  woman  hath  done  to-day  shall 
be  spoken  about  in  memory  of  her."  This  was  the  second 
time  that  Jesus  had  praised  the  gentle  Mary,  and,  as  the 
supper  went  on,  her  young  heart  went  out  to  him  with  ever 
increasing  love  and  gratitude. 

Turn  thou,  my  child,  from  the  gloomy  face  of  Judas  to 
the  gentle  maiden,  who  did  what  she  could  for  Jesus.  And 
yet,  until  He  spoke  to  Mary,  the  tongues  of  all  the  others 
said  she  had  done  wrong.  Thou  wilt  often  find  thy  best 
deeds  misinterpreted  and  misunderstood  by  others,  but  let 
not  that  discourage  thee,  if  thou  hast  done  thy  best,  Jesus 
will  speak  to  thee  and  comfort  thee,  as  He  did  Mary. 

THIRTY    PIECES    OF    SILVER. 

JERUSALEM,   WEDNESDAY,   APRIL,    A.D.    34. 

All  were  now  glad,  at  the  supper  in  Lazarus's  house,  that 
Mary  had  done  such  a  good  thing  with  her  white  flask  of  per- 
fume, all  save  one,  whose  anger  was  turned  from  her  to  Jesus, 


384  JUDAS    THE    TRAITOR. 

by  what  Jesus  had  said  to  him.  Judas  had  been  rebuked, 
and  rebuked  before  all  who  were  there,  and  as  he  sat  frown- 
ing at  that  supper  table  he  thought  of  the  last  few  years. 
All  his  Hfe  as  a  disciple  passed  before  him.  With  the 
other  disciples,  he  had  loved  and  admired  Jesus,  and  had 
expected  to  be  rewarded  with  honours  and  money  for 
following  Him.  Like  them,  he  had  been  disappointed  and 
grieved  when  Jesus  said  that  they  would  get  no  rewards 
in  this  world,  but  rather  punishments ;  and  he  would  not 
believe  it.  He  was  made  treasurer  for  the  disciples,  but 
so  little  money  came  in,  that  it  was  hardly  worth  the  trouble 
of  keeping.  And  now,  when  he  had  grumbled  at  a  young 
girl  for  wasting  a  large  sum  of  money  that  might  have  gone 
into  his  empty  purse,  Jesus  had  rebuked  him,  as  if  they 
did  not  need  money,  while  they  were  more  like  beggars 
than  followers  of  a  coming  King.  Also  Jesus  kept  telHng 
them,  over  and  over  again,  that  He  would  soon  die,  and 
certainly  the  priests  seemed  bent  upon  taking  Him  a 
prisoner.  Judas  had  not  got  what  he  wanted  in  following 
Jesus.  The  whole  thing  was  a  great  disappointment  to  him, 
and  evidently,  hke  many  other  popular  movements,  it  was 
soon  coming  to  an  end,  when  each  one  would  have  to  look 
out  for  himself.  He  had  heard  that  the  priests  wished  to  take 
Jesus  secretly^  and  would  likely  give  money  to  any  one  who 
helped  them.  He  would  tell  them  how  to  do  it,  and  if 
Jesus  were  indeed  the  Christ,  he  would  thus  force  Him  to 
exert  His  great  power  and  scatter  His  enemies,  and  if  Jesus 
did  not  do  so,  but  let  the  priests  take  Him,  then  He  could 
not  be  the  Christ,  and  it  was  time  that  everybody  knew 
it.  Besides,  had  Jesus  not  rebuked  him  before  them  all 
for  greed — greed,  and  He  so  poor  !  And  Judas  resolved, 
for  better  for  worse,  to  get  Jesus  into  the  power  of  His 
enemies. 

And  that  evening  he  stole  out  unseen  from  the  shadows 
of  Bethany,  and  hurried  over  the  famihar  path  to  Jeru- 
salem, with  his  head  bent  in  dogged  thought,  the  great  white 
moon  looming  behind  him.     Once  within  the  city  gate,  he 


WHAT    WILL    YOU    GIVE    ME?  385 

went  quickly  to  the  Temple,  and  asked  to  see  the  captain  of 
the  Temple  guard,  and  by  him  he  was  taken  before  the  chief 
priests  and  Temple  rulers  that  were  there,  and  to  them  he  told 
his  strange  errand  of  treachery,  an  errand  fitly  told  in  secret 
and  at  night.  That  he  was  one  of  the  twelve  disciples  of 
Jesus ;  that  Jesus  whom  they  had  missed  from  the  Temple 
that  day  was  staying  quietly  at  Bethany ;  and  that  he,  Judas, 
had  come  secretly  over  the  hill  to  offer  to  tell  them  how  they 
might  capture  Him  quickly  and  quietly.  The  priests  looked 
closely  at  his  grim  face,  and  remembered  having  seen  him 
among  the  disciples,  and  were  glad,  and  talked  eagerly 
with  him  as  to  how  Jesus  could  be  best  taken.  Judas 
told  them,  and  they  thought  they  had  arranged  it  all  with 
him,  when — 

"What  will  you  give  me  if  I  deliver  Him  up  to  you?" 
Judas  asked  grimly,  and  the  priests  were  taken  aback,  and  talked 
vaguely  of  rewarding  him  well.  But  no  !  it  was  Jew  against 
Jew,  and  Judas  would  promise  nothing  until  they  weighed  him 
out  there  and  then  thirty  pieces  of  silver  from  the  Temple 
money-box,  with  perhaps  more  if  the  plan  succeeded.  Now 
thirty  pieces  of  silver  was  the  common  price  of  a  slave,  and 
Judas  sold  Jesus,  his  Master,  for  that.  And  as  he  counted  the 
silver  over  into  his  purse,  he  promised  to  come  and  tell  the 
priests  whenever  Jesus  was  in  a  place  where  He  might  be  sur- 
prised and  taken  a  prisoner  with  no  people  near.  And  they 
promised  to  be  ready  with  soldiers. 

With  the  money  in  his  pocket,  Judas  left  the  Temple,  and 
walked  back  to  Bethany,  feeling  perhaps  light-hearted  as  he 
went,  for  he  had  made  his  peace  with  the  priests,  and  was  now 
an  important  man  to  them,  and  the  money  made  up  a  little  for 
what  he  had  lost  by  Mary  at  the  supper.  As  for  Jesus  and 
his  old  companions  the  disciples,  now  that  he  had  quite 
broken  away  and  turned  against  them,  he  thought  how  poor, 
foolish,  and  to  be  despised  they  were,  for  Jesus,  who  could  do 
so  much,  would  do  nothing  to  make  them  rich.  And  as  for 
what  the  priests  would  do  to  Jesus  when  they  got  Him,  that 
was  their  business.     But  they  could  not  do  much,  he  thought, 


386  PREPARING   THE    PASSOVER   SUPPER. 

for  Jesus  had  done  no  wrong  against  the  state  or  any  man. 
They  might  perhaps  scourge  Him  and  let  Him  go  again. 
On  the  other  hand,  perhaps  Jesus  would  declare  His  great 
Kingdom  of  power,  and  defeat  them  all,  and  then  he,  Judas, 
would  have  brought  it  about.  Thus,  after  three  years  of 
cramped  and  simulative  goodness,  Judas  found  it  easy,  indeed 
pleasant,  to  be  openly  bad.  And  while  it  was  still  dark,  he 
crept  back  to  the  village  of  Bethany  and  got  quietly  into  the 
house  where  he  lodged.  From  that  time  he  watched  and 
planned  how  he  could  let  the  priests  know  when  Jesus  could 
be  safely  taken  a  prisoner. 

And  thou  wilt  remember  the  wickedness  and  treachery  of 
Judas  in  what  he  did.  We  wonder  how  he  could  do  it,  after 
living  day  after  day  for  years  with  such  a  gentle  and  loving 
Friend,  and  thou  wilt  remember  that  however  close  thy  com- 
panionship may  be  with  Jesus,  thou  must  ever  be  on  thy 
guard  against  the  temptings  of  the  spirit  of  evil. 

PREPARING  THE   PASSOVER   SUPPER. 

JERUSALEM,  THURSDAY,  APRIL,  A.D.    34. 

Thursday  morning  dawned  calmly  over  Bethany,  with  a 
rose  blush  upon  the  hills  of  Moab,  and  sun-gold  upon  the 
clouds.  It  was  the  last  day  of  His  freedom,  and  again  Jesus 
remained  quietly  at  Bethany  with  His  friends.  His  work  in  the 
Temple  was  over.  He  walked  and  talked  with  those  who  loved 
Him,  while  all  day  long  the  dark  lurking  eyes  of  Judas  watched 
his  Master's  movements  for  the  opportunity  when  he  might 
run  and  tell  the  priests  where  Jesus  could  be  safely  taken. 

It  was  the  First  day  of  the  great  Festival,  when  all  the 
people  were  busy  with  preparations  for  the  joyful  Passover 
supper  of  which  every  man,  woman,  and  child,  of  the  many 
thousands,  who  had  come  to  Jerusalem,  would  partake  in  fami- 
lies, and  in  groups  of  friends.  That  day  was  called  the  first 
day  of  Unleavened  Bread,  for  all  leaven  had  been  put  away 
from  their  houses  the  night  before,  searching  for  it  with  candles  ; 
and  no  leaven  might  be  used  for  eight  days.     In  the  morning, 


HERBS,    CAKES,    FRUIT,    AND    WINE.  387 

intending  again  to  eat  the  Passover  supper  with  His  disciples, 
as  He  had  done  for  the  last  three  years,  Jesus  said  to  Peter 
and  John — 

*'  Go  and  make  ready  the  Passover  supper  that  we  may  eat 
it  together."  For  a  lamb  had  to  be  brought  from  the  Temple, 
and  things  bought,  and  it  would  take  them  all  day  to  prepare 
it. 

"Where  dost  thou  wish  that  we  should  make  ready  the 
supper?"  they  rephed,  thinking  Jesus  would  have  it  in  some 
house  in  Bethany ;  but  they  would  need  to  go  to  Jerusalem 
for  the  lamb  all  the  same. 

"  When  you  go  into  the  city,"  said  Jesus,  "  you  will  meet  a 
man  carrying  a  pitcher  of  water.  Follow  him  to  the  house 
whither  he  goeth,  and  when  he  entereth  in,  say  to  the  owner 
of  the  house,  '  Jesus  saith  to  thee  that  His  time  is  near,  and 
He  wisheth  to  keep  the  Passover  at  thy  house,  show  us  the 
room  where  He  may  eat  it  with  His  disciples.'  And  the  man 
will  himself  show  you  a  large  room  upstairs,  furnished  and 
ready,  there  make  ready  the  supper  for  us."  The  disciples 
then  saw  that  He  wished  to  have  the  Passover  supper  in 
Jerusalem  and  not  at  Bethany ;  but  none  of  them  knew  where, 
so  that  Judas  could  not  tell  in  what  house  it  would  be. 

Peter  and  John  then  went  away  to  Jerusalem,  and  as  they 
entered  the  city  gate  they  saw  a  man  carrying  a  pitcher,  and 
followed  him  until  he  went  into  a  house,  and  they  went  in 
after  him,  and  gave  his  master  their  message ;  and,  as  Jesus 
had  said,  he  received  them  gladly,  being  friendly  to  Jesus,  and 
took  them  by  an  outside  stone  stair  up  to  his  best  room,  which 
was  large  and  ready  furnished  for  a  supper  to  be  held  there 
that  night,  with  mats  upon  the  floor,  and  a  low  table  and 
couches  round  it,  large  enough  for  thirteen  people.  Then 
Peter  and  John  got  earthenware  jugs  for  water,  and  cups  for 
wine,  and  put  them  upon  the  table,  and  large  jars  of  water 
and  basins  and  towels  for  washing  feet  at  the  door ;  and  going 
out,  they  bought  unleavened  cakes  of  bread,  and  bitter  herbs, 
lettuce,  endive,  horehound,  and  salt,  vinegar,  oil,  dates,  raisins, 
apples,  nuts,  and  red  wine.     The  salt  and  the  bitter  herbs  and 


388  THE    ROAST    LAMB. 

cakes  of  bread  were  put  into  dishes,  and  placed  upon  the 
table ;  and  from  the  dates,  raisins,  apples,  nuts,  crushed  and 
mixed  with  salt  and  vinegar  into  a  stiff  paste,  they  made  a 
bowl  of  what  was  called  "  Charoseth,"  to  remind  them  of 
the  clay  with  which  their  forefathers  made  bricks  in  Egypt 
long  ago,  and  it  was  also  put  upon  the  table  with  the  water 
and  the  wine.  Then  the  hanging  lamps  were  filled  with  oil, 
and  trimmed,  and  all  was  ready  for  the  Supper,  excepting  the 
lamb. 

John  and  Peter  went  out  again  and  bought  a  little  lamb  of 
one  year  old,  examining  it  to  see  that  it  had  no  fault,  and 
about  three  o'clock  they  carried  it  up  to  the  Temple,  among 
thousands  of  others,  for  every  family  had  to  have  a  lamb 
killed  in  the  Temple.  In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  they 
took  their  lamb  into  the  Priests'  Court,  and  there,  when 
the  gates  were  shut,  at  the  sound  of  silver  trumpets,  with 
hundreds  more,  they  killed  their  lamb  and  skinned  and 
prepared  it  for  roasting,  giving  a  part  to  the  priests  who  were 
helping  them,  and  carried  it  away,  taking  care  to  break 
none  of  the  bones.  Then  they  roasted  it  whole,  upon  a 
pomegranate  stick,  either  in  a  hole  in  the  ground  or  in  an 
oven,  which  it  was  not  allowed  to  touch.  It  was  evening, 
therefore,  before  they  had  everything  ready  for  the  joyful 
supper,  which  was  so  important  to  all  Jews,  for  it  reminded 
them  of  the  time,  long,  long  ago,  when  their  forefathers  ate 
the  same  kind  of  supper  in  Egypt,  on  the  night  when  the  angel 
of  death  passed  over  the  land,  sparing  all  the  houses  whose 
doors  had  been  marked  on  the  sides  with  the  blood  of  the 
little  lamb,  and  entering  all  those  which  were  not  so  marked. 

The  sun  was  setting  behind  the  great  city  of  Jerusalem  when 
Jesus,  with  His  ten  disciples,  came  again,  and  for  the  last  time, 
over  by  the  hill  path  from  Bethany.  The  streets  were  thronged 
with  people,  all  in  gay  hoUday  clothes,  the  houses  brighdy 
lighted  up,  and  they  were  met  by  John  and  Peter  and  taken 
to  the  friend's  house,  where  everything  was  ready,  and  where 
Jesus  ate  the  last  meal  which  He  took  on  earth,  and  which 
has  ever  since  been  called  "The  last  supper." 


THE    LAST    SUPPER.  389 

And  thou  wilt  remember  that  this  meal  which  Jesus  took 
was  the  great  Jewish  Passover  supper,  which  He  had  often 
taken  before  in  His  father's  house,  or  with  His  disciples,  and 
of  which  every  Jewish  family  ate  all  on  the  same  night ;  for  it 
is  well  for  thy  right  understanding  of  all  that  Jesus  did  and 
said  at  it,  that  thou  shouldst  remember  how  He  and  His 
disciples  came  to  take  supper  together  in  that  particular  way. 


THE   LAST   SUPPER. 

JERUSALEM,  THURSDAY,  APRIL,   A.D.   34. 

Going  Up  by  the  outside  stone  stair  of  the  friend's  house  in 
the  narrow  street  of  Jerusalem,  Jesus  and  His  disciples, 
entered  the  large  upper  room  where  the  supper  table  was 
spread,  and  the  supper  ready,  each  one  taking  oif  his  sandals 
and  washing  his  feet  as  he  went  in.  They  were  all  dressed 
in  their  best  holiday  clothes,  and  the  room  was  brightly 
lighted  with  the  hanging  lamps,  for  the  Passover  supper  was 
ordered  to  be  held  as  a  joyful  feast  in  memory  of  God's  good- 
ness to  His  own  people.  In  Egypt  they  had  first  eaten  this 
supper  standing,  with  long  sticks  in  their  hands,  and  their 
shoes  on,  ready  for  a  journey ;  but  now  they  were  commanded 
to  eat  it  lying  upon  thick  mats  and  soft  cushions,  in  their  best 
clothes,  as  a  sign  of  rest,  prosperity,  and  gladness. 

When  the  first  three  stars  appeared  in  the  sky,  they  heard 
the  priests'  silver  trumpets  ringing  out  from  the  Temple 
the  signal  for  the  supper  to  begin  all  over  the  city.  On  the 
table,  which  was  partly  covered  with  a  white  cloth,  was  the 
bread,  wine,  water,  and  herbs,  the  other  things  being  on  a 
small  side  table.  But,  strange  and  sad  to  say,  when  the  dis- 
ciples came  to  take  their  places  on  the  couches,  they  began 
to  quarrel,  just  as  the  Pharisees  had  done,  about  who  was 
greatest  and  who  should  have  the  highest  seat.  Jesus  noticed 
them  quarrelling,  but  said  nothing.  When  they  were  all  in 
their  places,  they  were  arranged  round  three  sides  of  the 
table,  lying  on  their  left  sides,  with  their  left  elbows  upon  the 


390  AT    THE    TABLE. 

table,  and  their  right  hands  free  to  take  things.  Jesus  lay  at 
the  right  hand  end,  looking  up  the  table,  and  John  lay  next  in 
front  of  Him,  and  so  on  all  round,  Judas  being  near  Jesus,  and 
Peter  at  the  foot  of  the  table,  right  across  from  Jesus  and  John, 
all  with  their  outer  cloaks  off,  and  wearing  tunics  of  striped 
colours  bound  with  a  sash,  and  kerchiefs  on  their  heads,  red, 
purple,  white,  green  or  yellow — all  bright  and  cheerful.  Being 
so  high  above  the  street,  when  the  door  was  shut,  no  one  could 
see  in  or  hear  what  was  being  said,  and  Jesus  was  well 
pleased  with  the  arrangements  that  Peter  and  John  had  made, 
and  was  very  glad  that  they  should  all  take  this  joyful  supper 
together  once  more,  and  He  said  to  His  disciples — 

"  With  a  great  wish  I  have  desired  to  eat  this  Passover 
supper  with  you  before  I  suffer ;  for  I  tell  you  I  will  not  eat 
it  again  until  it  be  fulfilled  in  Heaven." 

Now  this  supper  had  been  kept  in  the  same  way  for  hun- 
dreds of  years,  by  drinking  cups  of  wine  and  water  mixed, 
and  eating  unleavened  cakes,  herbs,  and  roast  lamb.  Bless- 
ings and  thanks  were  spoken,  and  psalms  sung,  while  the  head 
one  at  the  table,  usually  the  father,  explained  what  all  the 
different  things  meant,  and  went  over  the  history  of  the  Jews 
from  the  time  when  they  came  out  of  Egypt.  The  first  thing 
done  was  to  fill  a  large  cup  with  one  part  of  red  wine  and  two 
of  water,  over  which  Jesus  would  say  the  usual  double  thanks 
for  the  wine  and  for  the  return  of  the  Passover  day,  and  tast- 
ing it.  He  would  hand  it  to  the  others,  who  would  pass  it 
round  the  table,  all  drinking  from  the  cup. 

Then  it  v^as  usual  for  the  father  to  rise  from  the  table  and 
wash  his  hands,  and  Jesus  rose,  and  going  over  to  the  place 
where  the  red  clay  basins  and  jugs  of  water  stood,  He  took  off 
His  white  tunic,  leaving  on  only  His  thin  under  dress,  and 
taking  a  large  towel,  tied  it  round  His  waist.  His  arms  being 
bare.  From  one  of  the  jars  He  filled  a  red  basin  with  water, 
and  carrying  it  over  to  the  couches,  He  knelt  down  and  began 
to  wash  John's  feet,  and  dry  them  with  the  towel,  while  the 
others  looked  on  in  astonishment.  He  then  went  to  the  next 
disciple  and  did  the  same  to  him,  and  passed  on  to  the  next, 


WASHING    THEIR    FEET.  39 1 

taking  them  in  their  order  as  they  lay  round  the  table.  Wash 
their  feet !  A  thing  which  only  slaves  did  !  There  was  now 
no  more  talk  of  who  was  greatest,  for  here  was  the  greatest 
of  them  all,  doing  a  slave's  work.  But  Peter  looked  on  with 
growing  feelings  of  shame  and  indignation,  as  he  saw  the  other 
disciples  allowing  their  dear  young  Master  to  do  this  thing 
for  them ;  and  when  Jesus  came  at  last  to  him,  as  though 
reminding  Jesus  of  His  position,  he  exclaimed — 

''Master,  wouldst  Thou  wash  7ny  feet?"  And  he  held  his 
feet  away. 

"Thou  dost  not  understand  why  I  do  this,"  Jesus  said 
quietly,  "  but  thou  shalt  know  afterwards."  But  Peter  was 
not  satisfied,  and  answered  hastily — 

"Thou  shalt  never  wash  my  feet."  He  believed  that 
nothing  could  persuade  him  to  allow  it ;  but  Jesus  looked  at 
him  and  said  in  tones  which  thrilled  the  heart  of  His  old 
disciple — 

"  If  I  do  not  wash  thee,  thou  shalt  have  no  share  with 
Me." 

"  Master  ! "  exclaimed  Peter,  whose  hasty  temper  leapt  at 
once  into  the  opposite  extreme,  "  wash  not  my  feet  only,  but 
also  my  hands  and  my  face,"  which  was  the  customary  wash- 
ing before  food.  Peter  thought  he  could  not  be  washed  too 
much  now ;  but  Jesus  explained  that  the  extent  of  washing 
made  no  difference,  saying — 

"  He  that  I  bathe,  needeth  only  to  have  his  feet  washed, 
and  then  he  will  be  all  clean,"  and  added  these  words,  which 
must  have  startled  Judas,  "  And  you  are  clean,  but  not  every 
one."  For  Jesus  knew  what  Judas  had  done.  He  had  been 
told  that  Judas  had  made  offers  to  the  priests  to  betray  Him. 
Most  likely  He  was  told  by  a  message  from  the  same  men 
who  warned  Him  before  that  the  council  had  resolved  to  take 
Him  a  prisoner  and  kill  Him ;  but  He  did  not  tell  His  disci- 
ples, nor  did  He  intend  this  time  to  fly  from  Jerusalem.  He 
had  made  up  His  mind  to  die ;  but  Judas  did  not  know  that 
He  knew  of  his  villainy.  Having  washed  all  their  feet,  as  they 
rested  like  princes  on  their  soft  cushions,  Jesus  put  back  the 


39^  KNOW    YOU    WHAT    I    HAVE    DONE? 

basin  and  towel,  and  putting  on  His  white  tunic,  took  His 
place  at  the  head  of  the  table  again. 

The  next  thing  at  such  a  Supper,  was  for  Jesus  to  take  some 
of  the  lettuce  and  other  herbs  and  dip  them  in  the  salt  and 
vinegar  and  eat  a  little,  giving  thanks,  and  then  to  hand  some 
to  the  disciple  next  Him  at  the  table,  reminding  them  all  as 
He  did  so,  that  the  herbs  and  vinegar  were  in  memory  of 
the  bitter  slavery  in  Egypt ;  and  after  that,  to  break  a  cake 
of  the  bread.  The  second  cup  of  wine  and  water  would  then 
be  filled  and  placed  on  the  table,  while  Jesus  reminded 
them  briefly  of  how  the  first  Passover  supper  was  held,  long 
ago,  and  why  they  now  killed  and  ate  a  lamb,  the  lamb  being 
then  put  upon  the  table  before  them,  to  remind  them  that 
God  had  spared  the  blood-sprinkled  houses  in  Egypt,  and  that 
their  forefathers  ate  of  roasted  lamb  on  the  night  before  they 
left  Egypt  forever. 

"Do  you  know  the  meaning  of  what  I  have  done  for  you?" 
Jesus  said,  referring  to  the  washing  of  their  feet.  "  You  call 
Me  Master  and  Lord,  and  you  are  right,  for  I  am  your  Master 
and  your  Lord.  If  I  then,  the  Head  and  Master  of  you  all, 
have  washed  all  your  feet,  you  ought  also  to  wash  one  another's 
feet.  For  I  have  shown  you  an  example  that  you  should 
do  to  each  other  as  I  have  done  to  you.  Whoever  is  great- 
est among  you  I  wish  him  to  become  as  the  youngest,  and  he 
that  is  chief  among  you  to  be  like  a  servant,  for  among  you 
I  am  as  if  I  were  a  servant."  No  plainer  lesson  could  have 
been  given  to  the  disciples,  never  again  to  dispute  about  who 
was  greates.J  and  telling  them  of  rewards,  Jesus  continued — 

"You  are  the  men  who  have  remained  with  Me  in  My 
temptations,  and  I  shall  give  you  a  Kingdom,  just  as  God  hath 
given  a  Kingdom  to  Me,  that  you  may  eat  and  drink  at  My 
table  in  My  Kingdom ;  and  you  shall  sit  on  thrones,  judging 
the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  A  servant  is  not  greater  than  his 
Master,  nor  a  disciple  who  is  sent  with  a  message  greater  than 
His  teacher  who  sent  him.  If  you  understand  these  things 
and  do  them  you  shall  be  blessed."  Then,  thinking  of  Judas, 
who  lay  listening  with  the  rest,  Jesus  said,  "  I  do  not  speak 


JUDAS    GOES    OUT.  393 

of  you  all.     I  know  whom  I  have  chosen ;  but  it  is  as  King 
David  wrote  in  the  41st  Psalm — 

"  *  Yea,  mine  own  familiar  friend,  in  whom  I  have  trusted. 

" '  Which  did  eat  of  my  bread,  hath  hfted  up  his  heel 
against  me.' 
I  tell  you  of  this  noWy  before  it  happeneth,"  referring  still  to 
Judas,  "  so  that  when  it  cometh,  you  may  beheve  that  I  am 
the  Christ.  Truly,  whoever  receiveth  those  whom  I  send, 
receiveth  Me,  and  he  that  receiveth  Me,  receiveth  God." 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  learn  from  Peter's  words,  the 
mistake  of  turning  quickly  from  one  thing  to  another  without 
thinking,  for  both  in  refusing,  and  in  asking  to  be  washed, 
Peter  was  wrong ;  but  be  thou  calm  and  clear,  and  make  sure 
that  it  is  Jesus  who  guideth  thee,  and  then  do  His  will  quietly, 
firmly,  and  with  all  thy  might. 


JUDAS  GOES  OUT. 

JERUSALEM,  THURSDAY,   APRIL,   A.D.   34. 

The  night  was  dark,  for  the  moon  had  not  yet  risen  over 
the  city ;  but  the  upper  room  in  which  Jesus  and  the  disciples 
were  met  was  cheerfully  lighted.  Having  explained  what  He 
meant  by  washing  the  disciples'  feet  at  the  commencement  of 
the  night,  Jesus  went  on  with  the  rest  of  the  supper.  I 
cannot  tell  thee  what  He  said  as  He  explained  the  different 
things  that  were  done,  but  this  was  what  was  usually  done  at 
such  a  supper,  and  I  will  tell  thee  what  Jesus  said  later  on. 
After  reminding  them  why  the  supper  was  held,  and  what  the 
different  things  on  the  table  meant, — the  "bitter  herbs,"  their 
fathers'  bitter  lives  in  Egypt;  the  "unleavened  bread,"  the 
haste  with  which  they  escaped  from  Egypt ;  and  the  "  Charo- 
seth,"  the  clay  with  which  they  toiled  in  Egypt, — it  was  usual 
to  sing  the  113th  and  114th  Psalms  of  King  David,  called  the 
first  part  of  the  joyful  Hallel,  in  which  are  these  words — 

"  When  Israel  went  forth  out  of  Egypt, 

"  The  house  of  Jacob  from  a  people  of  strange  language  ; 


394  I    SHALL    BE    BETRAYED.  . 

"  The  mountains  skipped  like  rams, 

"  And  the  httle  hills  like  young  sheep." 
A  short  prayer  was  then  said,  and  the  second  cup  of  wine  and 
water  drunk,  and  then  they  all  rose  and  washed  their  hands. 
On  returning  to  the  table  more  brief  thanks  were  given,  and 
the  bread-cakes  were  broken,  and  putting  some  herbs  and 
roast  lamb  between  two  pieces  of  cake,  and  dipping  it  in  the 
bowl  of  "  Charoseth,"  a  piece  was  handed  to  each  by  the 
father  at  the  table,  and  this  was  the  "  sop  "  which  Jesus  gave 
to  Judas.  The  general  eating  of  roast  lamb,  bread,  and  herbs 
was  then  begun,  while  the  third  cup  of  wine  and  water  was 
filled  and  placed  upon  the  table.  All  then  rose  and  washed 
their  hands  again,  for  they  ate  the  food  with  their  fingers.  On 
returning  to  their  places,  they  drank  of  the  third  cup,  which 
was  the  principal  one,  and  was  followed  by  a  blessing.  Then 
came  the  fourth  and  last  wine  cup,  and  the  singing  of  the  rest 
of  the  joyful  Hallel,  the  1 15th,  i  i6th,  1 1 7th,  and  i  i8th  Psalms 
of  King  David,  in  which  are  these  words — 

"  I  love  the  Lord,  because  He  hath  heard 

"  My  voice  and  my  supplication. 

"  Oh,  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord ;  for  He  is  good, 

"For  His  mercy  endureth  for  ever." 
A  blessing  of  praise  came  last  of  all,  and  the  joyful  Passover 
supper  was  over  for  another  year. 

Having  told  thee  what  was  always  done,  let  us  now  return  to 
what  Jesus  said  at  this  supper.  While  it  was  usual  for  the 
father  at  the  table  to  speak  a  great  deal  about  what  took  place, 
Jesus  spoke  much,  but  not  about  the  supper  so  much  as  about 
what  would  soon  happen  to  Himself  and  to  His  disciples. 
Before  the  time  came  to  eat  of  the  roast  lamb,  which  was  the 
principal  thing  at  the  supper,  knowing  that  Judas  was  false  to 
them  all,  and  wishing  he  would  go  away  and  leave  them, 
for  He  had  to  except  him  from  what  He  said,  Jesus  spoke 
these  words  in  a  quiet  voice — 

"  The  hand  of  the  man  who  shall  betray  Me  is  with  Mine 
on  this  table.  I  shall  be  betrayed,  but  woe  to  the  man  who 
doeth  it."     This  was  a  warning  enough  to  Judas,  who  lay  with 


LORD,    IS    IT    I?  395 

his  left  arm  resting  on  the  table,  but  he  took  no  notice  of  it. 
Perhaps  he  did  not  think  Jesus  knew  of  his  treachery,  perhaps 
he  did  not  care,  at  any  rate  he  determined  to  appear  innocent, 
and  took  part  with  the  other  disciples  in  asking  each  other 
in  whispers,  who  could  possibly  be  so  wicked  as  do  such  a 
thing,  when  at  that  very  moment  he  had  the  silver  pieces  of 
the  priests  in  his  pocket.  He  was  determined  to  stay  and  hear 
all  he  could. 

Jesus,  who  had  been  cheerful  with  the  others,  now  became 
troubled  and  anxious  in  spirit.  He  wished  Judas  to  go. 
He  had  washed  his  feet  with  the  rest.  Would  he  never  go  ? 
And  the  disciples  were  concerned  to  see  from  the  silence 
of  their  gentle  young  Master  that  He  was  grieved.  After  a 
pause.  He  said  again — 

"  I  say  truly  that  one  of  you  shall  betray  Me."  This  was 
plainer  still ;  but  Judas  did  not  move  or  show  a  sign  of  guilt, 
as  the  disciples  looked  in  each  others'  faces  in  wonder  to 
see  who  looked  like  the  one  that  would  do  such  a  cruel 
thing. 

"  One  of  you  that  eateth  with  Me  shall  betray  Me,"  Jesus 
said  again,  and  the  disciples  were  deeply  grieved  to  hear  Him 
say  so  again,  and  each  one  began  to  be  afraid  of  himself,  and 
to  ask  Him  one  after  another — 

"Lord,  is  it  I?  Lord,  is  it  I?"  And  Judas  asked  Him 
among  the  rest,  for  not  to  have  done  so  would  have  been 
suspicious. 

"  It  is  one  of  My  twelve  disciples,"  Jesus  replied.  "  One 
who  hath  dipped  his  hand  with  Me  in  this  bowl  of  Charoseth. 
I  go,  as  it  is  written  of  Me,  but  woe  to  the  man  by  whom  I 
am  betrayed.  It  were  better  for  him  if  he  had  never  been 
born."  These  are  words  which  only  a  cruel  hypocrite  could 
hear  unmoved,  but  Judas  heard  them  and  said  not  a  word. 
Now  John,  who  was  much  loved  by  Jesus,  and  who  lay  next 
Him  at  the  table,  by  leaning  back  could  rest  his  head  on 
Jesus'  breast,  and  this  he  often  did  in  the  course  of  the  supper, 
talking  quietly  to  Jesus  his  cousin ;  and  Peter,  who  sat  across 
the  table,  and  was  impatient  of  this  suspense,  believing  that 


39^  HE    IS    THE    ONE. 

John  must  know  who  Jesus  meant  should  betray  Him,  beck- 
oned to  him  across  the  table,  and  said — 

*' Of  whom  doth  He  speak?"  But  John  did  not  know, 
and  made  a  sign  to  Peter.  After  a  little,  John,  leaning  back, 
asked  Jesus  quietly — 

"Who  is  it?"  Jesus  did  not  care  to  say  the  name  of 
Judas.  Without  telling  the  others.  He  had  let  Judas  know 
that  He  knew  of  his  treachery.  Still  Judas  showed  no  signs 
of  going.  But  leave  them  he  must,  for  the  supper  could  not 
go  on  with  him  there. 

*'  He  is  the  one,"  answered  Jesus,  loud  enough  for  them  all 
to  hear,  "  for  whom  I  shall  dip  a  sop  of  bread,  and  give  it  to 
him."  And  putting  some  herbs  between  bread.  He  dipped  it 
in  the  bowl  of  "  Charoseth,"  and  gave  it  to  Judas. 

"  Is  it  I,  Master  ? "  Judas  exclaimed,  with  a  pretence  of 
surprise  as  he  took  the  piece.  His  respect  for  Jesus  having 
fallen  so  low  that  he  thought  he  could  turn  Him  off  with  sham 
astonishment.  But  Jesus  wished  no  more  hypocrisy,  and  since 
He  had  had  to  point  Judas  out  before  them  all.  He  replied 
plainly — 

"  Yes,  as  thou  hast  said."  And  now  the  spirit  of  evil  against 
Jesus  rose  stronger  than  ever  in  the  breast  of  Judas.  All  were 
looking  at  him  now  as  he  sat  revealed,  the  traitor  among  the 
twelve.  But  they  did  not  know  that  he  had  already  betrayed 
Jesus,  and  even  yet  intended  to  stay  and  hear  more ;  but 
the  clear  dark  eyes  of  Jesus  were  on  him  as  he  sat 
irresolute. 

"  What  i.iou  intejidestto  do,  do  quickly, ^^  Jesus  said,  speaking 
to  Judas  in  a  tone  which  was  an  order  to  leave  the  room, 
and  it  smote  the  note  in  his  mind  like  a  secret  message. 
"That  I  will,"  Judas  thought  fiercely,  as  without  a  word  he 
rose  with  flushed  face  from  the  table,  and  hastily  putting  on 
his  sandals  and  cloak,  stumbled  out  with  dazzled  eyes  from 
the  lighted  room  into  the  dark  night,  a  deserter.  Had  Peter 
known  for  what  purpose  Judas  was  going  out,  he  might  not 
have  let  the  traitor  go  so  easily.  None  but  Jesus  knew  that 
Judas  had  already  been  to  the  priests ;  some  thinking  that  he 


LITTLE    CHILDREN,    LOVE    ONE    ANOTHER.      397 

had  gone  out  to  buy  something,  while  others  thought  that  he 
had  gone  to  give  money  to  some  poor  people. 

In  open  rebellion,  wrapping  his  thick  cloak  round  him,  and 
keeping  in  the  shadow  of  the  houses,  Judas  walked  down  the 
street,  away  from  his  Passover  Supper,  away  from  Jesus,  away 
from  them  all  !  feeling  more  and  more  angry  with  Jesus  and 
with  all  His  works.  He  had  been  discovered,  pointed  out, 
bid  go,  expelled,  before  his  plans  were  complete.  "  Better  he 
had  never  been  born,  indeed  !  "  He  would  see  about  that ! 
he  would  not  thus  be  defeated.  That  very  night,  while  the 
people  of  the  city  were  within  doors  feasting,  he  would  watch 
Jesus  as  He  left  that  supper-room,  and  have  Him  taken  a 
prisoner  with  soldiers  as  He  went  over  the  lonely  hill  to 
Bethany.  All  the  disappointed  hopes,  the  rebukes,  the  fancied 
wrongs  which  Judas  believed  had  been  heaped  upon  him, 
ending  in  that  night's  banishment  from  the  great  Supper, 
thronged  and  crowded  in  his  darkened  mind,  and,  as  sure  as 
yonder  moon  shone  in  the  skies,  he  would  be  revenged.  He 
would  go  at  once  to  the  Temple  and  warn  the  priests  to  be 
ready  to  capture  Jesus  that  night,  perhaps  to  take  the  dis- 
ciples also. 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  remember  from  this  sad  story  how 
the  gentle  words  of  Jesus  only  stirred  up  greater  hatred  in 
Judas ;  and  wilt  guard  thy  sweet  spirit  from  the  passion  of 
hate,  which  turns  all  the  goodness  of  the  person  hated,  into 
greater  cause  for  hating,  just  as  a  twisted  mirror  makes  the 
fairest  face  seem  ugly.  Ruled  by  evil,  the  sole  passion  of 
Judas  was  to  bring  punishment  upon  Jesus  for  His  goodness, 
and  upon  all  who  were  like  Him. 


LITTLE   CHILDREN,    LOVE   ONE   ANOTHER. 

JERUSALEM,   THURSDAY,   APRIL,    A.D.    34. 

The  disciples  heard  the  footsteps  of  Judas  going  down  the 
outside  stair  of  the  house,  and  dying  away  in  the  street  below. 
They  did  not  know  why  he  had  gone,  but  somehow  the  trouble 


39^  BREAD,    WINE,    AND    LAMB. 

that  had  been  upon  their  young  Master  seemed  to  depart 
with  Judas.  He  became  cheerful  again,  and  they  soon  forgot 
about  the  absent  traitor.  Jesus  felt  that  the  circle  of  His 
friends  was  now  drawn  closer.  There  was  no  longer  the  spy, 
with  gloom  in  his  dusky  face,  watching  and  listening  to  every- 
thing.    There  were  none  but  honest  men  there  now. 

The  supper  was  hardly  rightly  begun  when  Judas  left,  and 
as  Head  of  that  little  company,  Jesus  took  the  large  cup  of 
wine  and  water,  perhaps  the  second,  perhaps  the  third  cup, 
and  giving  the  usual  thanks  for  the  wine,  handed  it  to  John, 
who  was  near  to  Him,  saying — 

"Take  this,  and  divide  it  among  yourselves,  for  I  will  not 
drink  wine  after  to-night,  until  Heaven  shall  come."  And  the 
wine  cup  went  round  the  table  again  from  one  to  another, 
every  disciple  drinking  from  it.  Next,  as  Head  of  the  table, 
Jesus  took  a  cake  of  the  unleavened  bread,  and  giving  thanks 
for  it,  broke  it  and  handed  a  part  to  John  as  a  sign  that  they 
should  now  begin  the  real  supper  of  bread  and  lamb  and 
herbs,  saying  as  He  did  so — 

"  This  is  like  My  body  which  is  given  for  you.  Do  this  in 
memory  of  Me."  And  then  they  all,  putting  herbs  between 
pieces  of  the  bread,  and  dipping  them  in  the  bowl  of 
"  Charoseth,"  began  to  eat  their  real  supper.  The  hot  lamb 
was  on  the  table,  roasted  whole,  with  its  head  and  feet  still 
on,  for  not  a  bone  of  it  might  be  broken ;  and  from  it  they 
all  took  pieces  with  their  fingers,  dipping  them  in  the  bowl  of 
"  Charoseth  "  and  the  salt,  and  eating  them  with  bread  and 
herbs  until  chey  were  satisfied.  And  they  were  all  hungry,  as 
it  was  the  rule  that  they  might  not  eat  anything  after  noon  of 
that  day,  in  order  to  come  hungry  to  the  glad  Passover  supper. 
In  the  course  of  the  evening,  Jesus  talked  of  many  things,  and 
the  disciples  asked  many  questions.  Judas  being  away  reheved 
His  mind,  and  made  Him  feel  glad,  as  He  exclaimed — 

*'  Now  am  I  glorified,  and  God  is  glorified  in  Me  !  Soon 
will  He  glorify  Me."  Then,  speaking  in  tones  of  the  tenderest 
endearment,  as  He  looked  on  these  men,  some  of  them  older 
than  Himself,  with  clear  dark  eyes  glowing  with  passionate 


AS    I    HAVE    LOVED    YOU.  399 

love,  and  using  childlike  words,  which  He  could  not  have  used 
with  Judas  present,  He  said — 

"  Little  children,  for  a  httle  while  longer  I  will  be  with  you, 
and  then  you  will  look  for  Me  ;  but,  as  I  have  told  the  people, 
— whither  I  go,  you  cannot  come."  Then,  as  He  thought  of 
their  quarrels  with  each  other,  He  added,  ^^  I  give  you  a  new 
C07?i7nand77ient,  that  you  love  OTte  a7iother.  As  I  have  loved  you, 
so  77iusf  you  love  OTie  a7iother.  By  this  shall  the  people  know 
that  you  are  My  disciples,  if  you  have  love  one  to  a7iothery  As 
the  disciples  thought  over  this,  the  most  beautiful  command 
that  has  ever  been  given  by  a  Leader  to  his  followers — a  com- 
mand from  God — Peter  also  thought  of  what  Jesus  had  said 
about  going  away  whither  they  could  not  follow.  Over  hill  and 
dale,  sea  and  desert,  he,  the  hardy  fisherman,  could  go  any- 
whither  that  Jesus  could ;  for  death  did  not  enter  his  mind. 
"Whither  art  Thou  going?"  Peter  asked,  wonderingly. 
"  I  am  going  whither  thou  canst  not  come,"  Jesus  repHed 
gently,  "  but  afterwards  thou  shalt  follow  Me  " — for  Peter 
would  also  die ;  and  looking  round  upon  them  all,  Jesus 
added,  "You  shall  all  be  displeased  with  Me  to-night.  It 
shall  be  as  is  written  in  the  Book  of  Zechariah — 

"  *  Awake,  O  sword  !  against  My  shepherd, 

"  *  And  against  the  man  that  is  My  fellow,'  saith  the  Lord 
of  Hosts : 

"  *  Smite  the  shepherd  !  and  the  sheep  shall  be  scattered  : 

"*And  I  will  turn  Mine  hand  upon  the  Httle  ones.' 
But,"  Jesus  continued,  "  after  I  am  raised  up,  I  will  go  before 
you  into  Galilee."  Thus  telling  them  where  they  would  see 
Him  again.  "  Peter,  Peter  !  "  He  exclaimed,  "  the  spirit  of 
evil  hath  asked  to  have  thee,  that  thou  mayest  be  sifted  like 
wheat.  But  I  have  prayed  for  thee  that  thy  faith  fail  not  under 
the  trial,  and  when  thou  hast  turned  again,  strengthen  and  teach 
thy  brother  disciples."  Peter  was  thus  to  be  the  chief  disciple  ; 
but  his  hasty  temper  rushed  on  too  fast,  causing  him  to  con- 
tradict Jesus. 

"  Why  cannot  I  follow  Thee  now  ? ' '  Peter  asked.    "  Although 
all  the  others  be  displeased  with  Thee,  Master  !  yet  I  will  not 


400  WE    WILL    DIE    FOR   THEE. 

be  displeased.  I  am  ready  to  go  both  to  prison  and  to  death 
with  Thee.  I  will  die  for  Thee."  Jesus  answered  this  hot 
outburst  quietly.  He  knew  that  Peter  had  not  yet  been  tried, 
and  He  understood  his  nature. 

"Thou  wilt  die  for  Me?"  He  asked,  repeating  Peter's  own 
words.  "  I  tell  thee,  Peter,  that  to-day,  even  this  very  night, 
before  the  cock  croweth  in  the  morning,  thou  shalt  three  times 
deny  that  thou  knowest  Me."  Resting  at  the  cheerful  supper- 
table,  in  that  brightly  lighted  room,  Peter  felt  confident  and 
brave,  and  protested  of  his  courage  and  faithfulness  with  a 
loud  voice,  exclaiming,  as  he  contradicted  Jesus  again — 

"  Even  if  I  have  to  die  with  Thee,  I  will  never  say  I  do  not 
know  Thee."  And  the  other  disciples,  not  to  be  behind  Peter, 
said  the  same  thing,  as  they  lay  upon  their  comfortable  couches, 
with  no  thought  of  swords,  soldiers,  and  darkness,  that  they 
were  willing  to  die  for  Jesus.  He  did  not  answer  their  brave, 
foolish  words,  but  went  on  to  remind  them  of  the  time,  about 
two  years  before,  when  He  sent  them  out  two  by  two  to  teach ; 
and  He  told  them  that  they  would  go  out  again,  but  in  a  very 
different  way. 

"  When  I  sent  you  out,"  He  said,  "  without  purse,  bag,  or 
shoes,  did  you  want  for  anything?" 

"Nothing,"  they  replied;  and  He  continued — 

"  But  now  I  say  that  whoever  hath  a  purse  or  a  bag,  let 
him  take  it ;  and  whoever  hath  no  sword,  let  him  sell  his 
cloak  and  buy  one.  For  these  words  of  Isaiah  must  happen 
to  Me — 

"  '  He  h  cth  poured  out  His  soul  unto  death. 

"  *  And  He  was  numbered  with  the  transgressors.' 
And  the  things  about  Me  must  have  an  end."  Hearing  Jesus 
speak  of  swords,  one  of  the  disciples  rose  and  made  inquiry 
in  the  house  for  such  things ;  and  thinking  that  Jesus  really 
wished  swords  with  which  to  defend  Himself  that  night,  he 
said,  holding  them  up — 

"  Master,  see  !  Here  are  two  swords."  Jesus  looked  at 
them,  saying  as  He  did  so — 

"  It  is  enough  !  " — meaning  that  He  did  not  wish  them  to 


THE    SPIRIT    OF   TRUTH.  4OI 

get  swords,  for  that  would  have  been  contrary  to  all  His 
teaching.  But  Peter  the  brave,  took  one  of  them  and  used  it 
afterwards,  and  was  very  severely  rebuked  for  doing  so,  Jesus 
Himself  heahng  the  injury  which  Peter  did.  It  was  not  by 
swords  that  they  were  either  to  defend  themselves  or  to  attack 
others,  but  by  truthful  words  and  good  lives. 

And  thou  wilt  learn  something  from  this  that  is  far  above 
swords  and  fighting,  the  command  which  Jesus  gave  to  all 
His  followers.  For  if  men  would  only  obey  it,  there  would 
soon  be  no  more  quarrels,  no  more  wars,  no  more  swords ; 
and  the  test  of  His  followers  is  not.  Do  you  go  to  church  ?  do 
you  pray?  do  you  read  your  Bible?  but,  "Do  you  love  each 
other?" 


THE   SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH. 

JERUSALEM,  THURSDAY,  APRIL,  A.D.   34. 

In  that  quiet  room  upstairs  in  Jerusalem,  with  the  door 
shut  and  the  lamps  burning  brightly,  Jesus  had  His  last  oppor- 
tunity for  talking  privately  with  His  disciples.  The  things 
which  He  said  there,  are  the  greatest  sayings  of  His  life,  for, 
in  answer  to  their  childlike  questions  when  they  could  not 
understand  Him,  He  opened  His  heart  to  them,  and  I  shall 
try  to  explain  much  of  what  He  said.  He  was  grieved  at  the 
prospect  of  leaving  the  disciples,  for  He  saw  in  their  faces 
that  they  were  afraid  to  be  left  alone,  and  He  spoke  words  of 
encouragement  and  comfort  to  them — 

"Let  not  your  hearts  be  troubled,"  He  said,  kindly. 
"  You  believe  in  God,  believe  also  in  Me.  There  are  many 
places  in  My  Father's  House  of  Heaven.  If  it  were  not 
so,  I  would  have  told  you,  but  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you 
there,  and  will  return  and  take  you  to  Myself,  that  where  I  am, 
there  you  may  be  also.  You  know  the  place,  and  you  know 
the  way."  He  paused,  and  they  sat  thinking  for  a  Httle,  and 
then  the  plain-spoken  Thomas  asked — 

"  Lord,  we  do  not  know  whither  Thou  art  going,  and  how 
can  we  know  the  way?"     He  had  not  understood  that  Jesus 


402  THE    WAY,    THE    TRUTH,    THE    LIFE. 

was  speaking  of  Heaven  after  death.  But  looking  at  him, 
Jesus  replied — 

"  Thomas,  /  a?fi  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life ;  no  one 
Cometh  to  God,  but  by  MeT  For  three  years  Jesus  had  taught 
His  disciples  that  to  have  His  Spirit  was  the  only  way  to  have 
Heaven,  and  gently  chiding  Thomas,  He  added,  ^^  If  thou 
hadst  known  Me  rightly,  thou  wouldst  also  have  known  God. 
Know  therefore  after  this,  that  in  Me  thou  both  knowest  and 
hast  seen  God  My  Father''  Again  Jesus  paused,  and  the 
disciples  wondered  what  He  meant ;  for  they  had  already 
forgotten  that  He  had  told  them  before,  that  God  and  He 
were  of  one  Spirit,  so  that  they  did  not  understand  Him  when 
He  said  that  in  Him  they  had  seen  God.  It  was  the  youthful 
Phihp  who  spoke  next,  and  he  said  earnestly — 

"  Lord  !  show  us  the  Father,  and  it  will  satisfy  us."  Jesus 
did  not  allow  this  request  to  pass  unnoticed,  and  He  asked 
Philip  in  a  tone  of  surprise — 

"  Have  I  been  so  long  with  you,  and  yet  thou  dost  not 
know  Me,  Phihp?  "  As  though  He  had  said,  "  I  have  shown 
thee  by  My  life  during  these  past  years  that  the  Spirit  of  God 
the  Father  is  in  Me,  and  yet  thou  askest  who  am  I  ! "  and 
Jesus  explained  once  more  how  the  Spirit  of  God  was  in  Him. 
"  Whoever  hath  seen  Me,"  he  continued,  "  hath  seen  God 
the  Father ;  and  how  then  dost  thou  ask  Me  to  show  thee  the 
Father?  Believest  thou  not,  that  I  am  in  God,  and  that  God's 
Spirit  is  in  Me?  "  Receiving  no  answer.  He  went  on.  "  The 
wo?'ds  which  I  speak  to  you,  I  do  not  speak  from  Myself,  but  the 
Spirit  of  t^od  that  dwelleth  in  Me  doeth  God^s  will  through 
Mey  And  He  went  on  to  plead  with  them  as  He  had  pled 
before  with  the  people  in  the  Temple,  to  believe  what  He  told 
them,  saying — 

"  Believe  My  words  when  I  say  that  I  am  in  God  and  that 
God's  Spirit  is  in  Me ;  or  else  believe  My  words  because  of 
the  things  which  you  have  seen  Me  do.  Truly,  he  that  be- 
lieveth  on  Me,  the  things  that  I  do,  he  shall  do  also ;  and 
greater  things,  because  I  am  going  to  My  Father  in  Heaven." 
Then  He  gave  them  a  promise,  to  encourage  them  when  He 
was  gone,  saying — 


IF    A    MAN    LOVE    ME.  403 

"  Whatever  you  shall  ask  of  God  in  My  name,  I  will  do  it, 
that  God  may  be  glorified  in  Me.  If  you  shall  ask  anything 
in  My  name,  I  will  do  it."  And  He  gave  them  also  another 
promise,  the  promise  of  His  Spirit  to  dwell  in  them,  saying, 
"  If  you  love  Me,  you  will  keep  My  commandments,  and  I  will 
ask  God,  and  He  shall  give  you  a  Helper,  other  than  My 
presence  as  a  Man  with  you,  a  Helper  that  will  be  with  you 
for  ever.  And  the  Helper  of  which  I  speak,  is  the  Spu-il  of 
Truth,  which  the  world  will  not  receive  in  Me,  for  the  world 
neither  knoweth  nor  seeth  Him  in  Me,  but  you  know  Him, 
for  the  Helper  is  My  Spirit,  which  remaineth  with  you  and 
shall  be  in  you.  I  will  not  leave  you  forsaken,  but  will  come 
to  you."  His  was  the  sweet  Spirit  of  Truth,  of  which  His 
disciples  had  received,  but  which  would  come  more  and  more 
to  each  of  them  as  they  kept  the  commandments  of  Jesus,  to 
comfort  and  teach  them  from  God.  Speaking  next  of  His 
coming  death  Jesus  said — 

"  In  a  little  while  the  people  will  see  Me  no  more,  but  you 
will  see  Me,  and  because  I  live,  you  shall  live  also,  and 
then  you  shall  understand  how  that  I  am  in  God,  and  you  are 
joined  to  Me,  My  Spirit  being  in  you."  And  this  is  how  the 
disciples  were  to  show  whether  they  truly  loved  Jesus.  "Who- 
ever hath  My  commandments,"  He  continued,  "and  keepeth 
them,  loveth  Me  truly ;  and  he  that  loveth  Me  shall  be  loved 
of  God  in  Heaven,  and  I  will  love  him,  and  will  make  Myself 
known  in  Spirit  to  him."  Having  thus  told  them  that  after 
He  was  gone  His  Spirit  would  be  in  every  one  who  loved 
Him,  Jesus  paused,  and  Jude,  thinking  Jesus  meant  that  He 
would  return  again,  and  be  seen  only  by  those  in  that  room 
and  not  by  all  men  as  Jude  thought  He  would  be,  he  asked — 

"  Lord,  what  has  happened  that  Thou  wilt  make  Thyself 
known  to  us  Thy  disciples,  and  not  to  all  the  world?"  But 
Jude  was  wrong,  and  Jesus  at  once  told  him  that  He  was 
speaking  of  His  Spirit  and  of  how  any  one  may  have  Him. 

"  If  a  man  loveth  Me, ^^  Jesus  replied,  ^^  he  will  obey  Me,  and 
God  will  love  him,  and  We  will  come  and  dwell  in  Spirit  with 
him.     But  he  that  loveth  Me  not,  will  not  obey  My  words, 


404  MY    PEACE    I    GIVE    UNTO    YOU. 

which,  as  I  have  said,  are  not  Mine  alone,  but  the  words  of 
God  My  Father  who  sent  Me."  Having  thus  corrected  Jude, 
Jesus  went  on  to  say  that  His  Spirit  would  teach  them  more 
than  He  had  yet  told  them — 

"  I  have  told  you  these  things,"  He  said,  "  while  still  hv- 
ing  among  you,  but  the  Helper,  that  is,  the  Holy  Spirit  of 
which  I  spoke,  and  which  God  will  send  to  you  in  My  name. 
He  shall  teach  you  all  things,  and  cause  you  to  remember  all 
that  I  have  said  to  you."  Then,  as  though  blessing  them  with 
that  sweet  inward  peace  and  strength,  which  they  had  seen 
Him  have  all  His  life,  He  said,  "  Peace  I  leave  with  you  ;  My 
peace  I  give  to  you  ;  but  noi  as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  this  peace 
to  you.  Let  not  your  hearts  be  troubled  nor  afraid."  He 
continued.  "  You  have  heard  Me  say,  that  though  I  go  away 
now,  I  shall  come  in  Spirit  again.  If  you  really  loved  Me, 
you  would  have  rejoiced  to  hear  Me  say  so,  because  I  am 
going  to  My  Father  in  Heaven,  who  is  greater  than  I.  Now  I 
have  told  you  before  it  happeneth,  so  that  when  it  cometh,  you 
may  all  believe."  He  wished  them,  when  His  Spirit  took  fuller 
possession  of  them,  reveahng  all  His  will  afresh,  to  remember 
that  He  had  told  them  on  that  night,  alone  in  that  room,  that 
it  would  be  so.  And  He  added  sadly  and  regretfully,  as  He 
thought  of  the  sweet  time  they  had  had  that  night  together — 

"  I  will  not  speak  much  with  you  any  more,  for  the  prince 
of  the  world,  the  spirit  of  evil,  cometh,  who  hath  nothing  in 
Me  ;  but  he  cometh  that  all  men  may  know  that  I  love  God, 
and  do  what  He  commandeth.  Rise,"  He  added,  "  let  us  go 
out,"  for  i<"^was  now  getting  late.  But  no  one  in  the  room 
seemed  willing  to  rise  and  put  an  end  to  what  might  be  their 
last  quiet  meeting  together,  and  they  remained,  waiting  for 
Jesus  to  speak  again. 

Now  much  of  this,  my  child,  thou  wilt  not  understand,  but 
what  is  simplest  in  it  is  also  greatest — how  to  have  the  Spirit 
of  Jesus'  within  thee,  guiding  thee.  For  He  said  to  His  dis- 
ciples that  if  they  loved  Him,  they  would  try  to  do  what  He 
told  them,  and  that  His  Holy  Spirit  would  be  with  them  more 
and  more,  teaching  them  all  their  lives  what  God's  will  is, 


THE    VINE    AND    ITS    BRANCHES.  4O5 

and  helping  them  to  obey  Him..  And  what  Jesus  said  to 
them,  He  meant  for  thee  also ;  and  the  more  thou  givest  up 
thyself  to  His  gentle  guidance,  the  more  wilt  thou  be  guided. 

THE   VINE    AND    ITS    BRANCHES. 

JERUSALEM,   THURSDAY,    APRIL,   A.D.    34. 

Seeing  that  His  disciples  did  not  wish  to  go  out  yet,  Jesus 
resumed  speaking  to  them,  as  they  lay  on  their  couches  in  the 
large  room  upstairs  in  Jerusalem.  I  cannot  tell  thee  all  He 
said,  but  will  continue  to  explain  parts  of  it ;  and  trust  that 
when  thou  art  older  thou  wilt  read  every  word  often  for  thy- 
self, in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  the  Gospel  written  by  His 
favourite  disciple  John,  who  was  there  and  heard  Him  speak- 
ing. He  told  them  a  beautiful  story  about  the  vine  tree,  the 
emblem  of  the  Jewish  nation,  with  its  thick  brown  stem,  from 
which  slender  branches  spread  out,  covered  with  broad  green 
leaves  and  bunches  of  purple  fruit.  He  said  that  He  was  the 
Tree,  and  the  disciples  His  branches,  who  drew  their  life  from 
Him— 

I  am  like  a  vine.  He  said,  and  you  are  like  the  branches,  for 
I  am  the  True  Vine,  and  God  is  the  Gardener.  Every  branch 
that  hath  no  fruit  on  it  God  taketh  away,  and  every  branch 
that  hath  fruit  He  traineth  that  it  may  have  more  fruit.  You 
are  My  branches  because  of  the  words  which  I  have  spoken  to 
you.  Continue  joined  to  Me,  and  My  spirit  will  live  in  you  ;  for 
just  as  a  branch  cannot  have  any  fruit  unless  it  be  joined  to  the 
tree,  so  you  cannot  have  good  deeds  unless  you  be  joined  to  Me. 
Whoever  liveth  joined  to  Me,  and  hath  My  Spirit  in  him,  shall 
do  much  good,  but  separated  from  Me,  you  can  do  nothing. 
If  a  man  be  not  joined  to  Me,  he  is  like  a  dead  branch  of  a 
tree,  without  sap,  cast  off  and  withered,  that  is  gathered  up  to 
be  flung  into  the  fire  and  burned.  But  if  you  live  joined  to 
Me,  and  My  words  which  are  My  Spirit  live  in  you,  then  you 
may  ask  what  you  will  of  Me,  and  it  shall  be  done.  By  hav- 
ing much  fruit,  you  shall  glorify  God,  and  be  My  disciples. 
Having  told  this  beautiful  story  about  the  Vine  and  the  sap,  to 
show  how  His  disciples  were  to  be  joined  to  Him,  Jesus  re- 


4o6  ABIDE    IN    ME. 

turned  again  to  His  favourite  subject,  His  love  for  them,  and 
their  love  for  each  other,  saying,  as  He  tried  to  make  these 
great  things  as  plain  and  simple  to  them  as  they  were  to  Him — 

"  In  the  same  way  that  God  loveth  Me,  do  I  love  you — 
continue  then  in  My  love.  If  you  keep  My  commandments, 
you  shall  be  loved  by  Me,  just  as  I  have  kept  God's  command- 
ments and  am  loved  by  him."  Then  He  told  them  why  He 
repeated  His  sayings  so  often  to  them.  "  I  have  spoken  these 
things  to  you  that  My  joy  may  be  in  you,  and  that  you  may  be 
full  of  joy."  Thus  telling  them  that  His  Spirit  was  not  a  sad 
and  sorrowing  one,  but  a  joyful  Spirit.  And  again  He  re- 
peated His  great  commandment  of  love,  saying :  "  This  is 
My  cofnmandfnent,  Love  one  another,  as  I  have  loved  you. 
No  man  can  love  his  friends  more  than  this,  that  he  is  willing 
to  die  for  them.  You  are  My  friends  if  you  do  what  I  tell 
you.  I  shall  call  you  servants  no  longer,  for  a  servant  knoweth 
not  what  his  master  doeth,  but  I  have  called  you  My  '  friends,' 
for  I  have  told  you  all  that  I  have  heard  from  God."  Think- 
ing of  the  time,  now  more  than  three  years  ago,  when  on  the 
green  hill  by  the  blue  Lake  of  Galilee,  He  first  chose  them  to 
be  His  disciples.  He  said — 

"  You  did  not  choose  Me,  but  I  chose  you,  and  I  appointed 
you  to  be  My  disciples  that  your  good  deeds  should  live.  I 
command  you,"  He  said  with  energy,  returning  for  the  last 
time,  and  with  even  greater  force,  to  His  great  commandment, 
"  I  command  you,  that  you  love  one  another.  If  bad  men  hate 
you,  you  igiow  that  they  hated  Me  before  they  hated  you.  If 
you  were  like  these  bad  people,  they  would  love  you,  but  be- 
cause you  are  not  like  them,  and  because  I  chose  you  out  from 
among  them,  they  will  hate  you."  And  then  Jesus  reminded 
them  of  how  much  He  had  been  hated,  saying,  "  If  I  had  not 
done  things  which  no  other  one  ever  did,  these  men  would 
not  hav^e  hated  Me ;  but  now  they  have  both  seen  and  hated 
Me  and  God  also,  and  the  words  of  King  David  in  the  69th 
Psalm  are  true : 

"  *  They  that  hate  me  without  a  cause,  are  more  than  the 
hairs  of  my  head.'  " 


THE    HELPER.  407 

And  once  more  He  spoke  to  them  of  what  they  would  have 
to  suffer  from  bad  men,  and  of  His  Spirit,  which  would  help 
them,  saying — 

"  But  when  the  Helper  is  come  to  you,  whom  I  will  send 
from  My  Father  in  Heaven,  even  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  which 
Cometh  from  God,  He  shall  be  a  witness  for  Me  in  you,  and 
you  all  shall  be  witnesses  for  Me,  because  you  have  seen  Me 
and  been  with  Me  in  all  My  journeyings  from  the  beginning 
of  My  teaching.  But  the  day  will  come  that  whoever  killeth 
you  will  think  that  he  is  serving  God ;  and  they  will  do  this 
because  they  have  not  known  God  nor  Me.  I  have  spoken 
of  these  things  that  when  your  hour  of  trial  cometh  you  may 
remember  that  I  told  you  of  them  beforehand.  I  did  not  tell 
you  all  these  things  when  you  first  came  to  me,  because  I  was 
with  you  Myself,  but  now  I  am  going  to  God,  who  sent  Me," 
and  with  a  sudden  break  in  His  line  of  thought,  Jesus  added 
sorrowfully,  "  And  not  one  of  you  asketh  Me  whither  I  am 
going,"  then  noticing  the  sad  look  which  came  into  the  faces  of 
His  disciples.  He  continued  gently,  as  He  looked  at  them 
with  compassionate  eyes,  "  Because  I  have  spoken  of  these 
things,  sorrow  hath  filled  your  hearts ;  but  I  tell  you  truly,  it 
is  better  for  you  that  I  should  go  away,  for  if  I  were  not  to  go, 
the  Helper,  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  would  not  come  to  you ;  but 
if  I  go,  I  will  send  Him." 

It  was  now  late  at  night,  the  supper  was  over,  and  the  sor- 
rowful faces  of  His  disciples  told  Jesus  that  the  evening  which 
had  begun  so  cheerfully,  was  ending  in  fear  and  doubt  for 
them,  and  He  saw  that  their  minds  were  not  able  to  take  in 
all  that  He  could  yet  say.  His  near  approaching  death  was 
also  pressing  heavily  upon  Him,  but  He  loved  them  so,  that 
all  His  thoughts  were  for  them,  and  He  was  reluctant  to  end 
this,  the  most  solemn,  tender,  and  memorable,  outpouring  of 
His  heart. 

"  I  have  still  many  things  to  say  to  you,"  He  said  tenderly, 
"  you  cannot  bear  them  now ;  but  when  the  Spirit  of  Truth 
conicfh,  He  shall  guide  you  into  all  Truth.  He  shall  glorify  Me, 
for  He  shall  take  what  is  Mine  and  tell  it  to  you,  for  all  the 


408  INTO    ALL    TRUTH. 

things  that  God  hath,  are  Mine."  Repeating  again  the  words 
He  had  used  in  the  beginning  of  the  evening,  He  said,  ''  In 
a  Uttle  while  you  will  see  Me  no  more ;  and  in  a  little  while 
you  shall  see  Me  again."  And  He  paused,  silently  thinking 
while  His  disciples,  filled  with  awe  of  Him,  began  to  whisper 
to  each  other — 

"  What  is  this  He  saith  to  us  ?  *  A  little  while  and  you  shall 
not  see  Me  ! '     We  know  not  what  He  meaneth " 

"  Why  do  you  ask  each  other  about  My  saying,  '  A.  little 
while?'  "  Jesus  said  gently,  and  then  added,  referring  to  His 
death,  "  I  tell  you  truly  that  you  shall  weep  and  be  sorrowful, 
but  bad  men  will  be  glad.  You  shall  be  sorrowful,  but  your 
sorrow  will  be  turned  into  joy.  Now  you  are  sorrowful,  but 
I  will  see  you  again  in  Spirit,  and  your  hearts  will  rejoice,  and 
no  one  shall  take  that  joy  away  from  you.  In  that  glad  day 
you  shall  have  no  more  questions  to  ask  Me.  But  if  you  shall 
ask  anything  of  God  He  will  give  you  it  in  My  name.  You 
have  asked  nothing  yet  in  My  name.  Ask,  and  you  shall 
receive,  that  your  joy  may  be  full."  Before  ending  all  His 
sayings.  He  reminded  them  of  the  many  beautiful  stories  with 
a  meaning  which  He  had  so  often  told  them. 

"  These  things  I  have  told  you  in  stories,"  He  said,  "  but 
the  time  will  come  when  I  shall  no  more  speak  to  you  in 
stories,  but  will  tell  you  plainly  about  My  Father  in  Heaven. 
He  loveth  you  because  you  have  loved  Me,  and  because  you 
believe  that  I  came  from  God.  /  came  out  from  God  into  the 
world,  and  now  I  shall  leave  the  world  and  go  again  to  Himy 
And  some  of  the  disciples  who  had  been  trying  to  understand 
where  Jesus  was  going  to,  exclaimed  with  satisfaction — 

''  Now  thou  speakest  plainly,  and  not  in  stories.  Now  there 
is  no  need  that  any  man  should  ask  Thee  questions,  for  we 
understand  that  Thou  knowest  everything,  and  by  this  we 
believe  that  Thou  camest  out  from  God."  Once  more,  for  a 
time  at  least,  the  disciples  firmly  believed  that  Jesus  was  from 
God ;  but  He  knew  that  their  confident  belief  would  fade 
away  as  it  had  done  before. 

"Do  you  now  believe?"  He  said  to  them  gently,  adding 


AND    THIS    IS    HEAVEN.  4O9 

in  tones  of  sorrowful  warning,  "  But  the  time  cometh,  yes,  and 
hath  now  come  !  when  you,  My  disciples,  shall  be  scattered, 
every  one  returning  to  his  own  people,  and  shall  leave  Me 
alone.  And  yet  I  shall  not  be  alone,  for  God  is  ever  with 
Me."  And  looking  at  them  tenderly,  He  uttered  these  last 
words  to  the  downcast  men,  words  of  gladness,  strength,  and 
peace,  spoken  in  the  very  face  of  death — 

"  /  have  told  you  of  these  things^  that,  trusting  in  Me,  you 
may  have  peace.  In  the  world  you  shall  have  trouble,  but  be 
glad  !  for  I  have  overcome  the  world T 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  try  to  remember  the  last  words 
of  Jesus  to  His  disciples  on  that  memorable  night,  and  never 
lose  thy  peace  and  gladness  of  heart,  for  if  thou  hast  His  Holy 
Spirit,  then  thou  hast  in  thee  the  Spirit  of  Him  who  overcame 
the  world,  and  greater  is  He  that  is  in  thee  than  any  that  can 
be  against  thee. 

Far,  far  away,  like  bells  at  even  pealing, 

The  voice  of  Jesus  sounds  o'er  land  and  sea, 

And  little  feet  in  thousands  meekly  stealing — 
Kind  Shepherd !  turn  their  little  steps  to  Thee. 


AND   THIS   IS   HEAVEN. 

JERUSALEM,  THURSDAY,  APRIL,  A.D.   34. 

When  Jesus  had  finished  all  that  He  had  to  say,  the  disci- 
ples rose  from  their  couches  round  the  supper  table  and  stood 
ready  to  go  out.  He  had  poured  out  His  heart  to  them  in  all  its 
womanly  love,  and  although  His  tone  had  been  one  of  gladness 
and  of  confidence,  He  was  sorry  for  them,  telling  them  to  love 
Him  and  love  each  other,  and  trust  in  God,  and  that  His 
Holy  Spirit  would  guide  them  when  they  could  no  more  see 
His  face,  nor  hear  His  human  voice.  The  solemn  moment  of 
parting  had  come,  and  ere  they  left  the  table  there  was  a  hush 
of  silence,  for  they  saw  that  Jesus  was  about  to  pray.  He 
prayed  aloud,  a  beautiful  gentle  prayer,  for  His  disciples,  and 
as  His  wonderful  voice  rose  calm  and  clear  in  the  silent  room, 


4IO  TO    KNOW    GOD. 

they  bowed  their  heads  in  reverence  and  hstened.  With 
hands  clasped  before  Him  their  young  Master  stood,  His 
beautiful  face  upraised,  His  brown  hair  falling  on  His  white 
tunic,  and  His  clear  dark  eyes  gazing  as  though  He  saw  the 
very  face  of  the  Father  in  Heaven  to  whom  He  spoke  in  such 
passionate  words. 

"  Father  !  "  He  prayed,  "  the  time  hath  come.  Glorify  Thy 
Son  that  I  may  glorify  Thee.  Thou  gavest  Me  power  over 
men,  that  I  should  give  them  Heaven."  And  with  low  earnest 
voice  He  uttered  these  precious  words  :  "  And  this  is  Heaven^ 
to  know  Thee  the  only  tnu  God,  and  Me  the  Christ  whom 
Thou  didst  send.  I  have  glorified  Thee  on  earth,  and  have 
finished  the  work  which  Thou  gavest  Me  to  do.     And  now, 

0  Father  !  glorify  Me  with  Thine  own  self,  with  the  glory 
which  I  had  with  Thee  before  the  world  was."  And  thus  the 
amazed  disciples  heard  Him  tell  His  Father  in  Heaven  that 
His  work  was  done,  and  ask  God  to  glorify  Him  in  death. 
Then  speaking  of  His  disciples,  who  stood  around  Him  with 
bowed  heads,  Jesus  continued — 

"  My  Father  !  I  have  made  known  Thy  Name  to  the  men 
whom  Thou  gavest  Me  out  of  the  world.  They  were  Thine, 
and  Thou  gavest  them  to  Me,  and  they  have  kept  Thy  words. 
Now  they  know  that  all  that  I  have  is  from  Thee.  The  words 
which  Thou  gavest  Me  I  have  given  to  them,  and  they  have 
received  them,  and  know  it  is  true  that  I  came  from  Thee. 
They  believe  that  Thou   didst  send  Me.     I  pray  for  them. 

1  do  not  pray  for  the  world,  but  for  the  disciples  whom  Thou 
gavest  Me.  They  are  Thine.  All  things  that  are  Mine  are 
Thine,  and  all  things  that  are  theirs  are  Mine.  I  am  glorified 
in  them.  I  shall  live  no  more  in  the  world,  but  these  men 
shall  live  in  the  world.     I  come  to  Thee. 

"  Holy  Father  !  in  Thy  name  keep  these  My  disciples  which 
Thou  hast  given  Me,  that  they  may  be  all  of  one  spirit,  as  we 
are  of  One  Spirit.  While  I  was  with  them,  I  kept  them  in 
Thy  name,  and  guarded  them,  which  Thou  gavest  Me.  Not 
one  of  them  hath  gone  wrong,  but  Judas  Iscariot.  But  now 
I  come  to  Thee ;  and  I  say  these  things  that  My  disciples 


MY    SPIRIT    IN    THEM.  4 II 

may  have  joy  in  themselves.  I  have  given  them  Thy  words. 
Men  hated  them  because  they  were  not  of  the  world,  even 
as  I  am  not  of  the  world.  I  do  not  ask  Thee  to  take  My 
disciples  out  of  the  world.  I  ask  that  Thou  shouldst  keep 
them  from  the  spirit  of  evil.  Purify  them  in  the  Truth.  Thy 
word  is  Truth.  As  Thou  didst  send  Me  into  the  world,  so  do 
I  send  them.  For  their  sakes  I  purify  Myself,  that  they  also 
may  be  purified  in  Truth."  Having  thus  prayed  for  His 
disciples  that  they  might  be  made  ever  purer  by  the  Spirit  of 
Truth,  Jesus  widened  His  prayer  to  cover  all  people  who  should 
come  to  love  Him  and  love  the  Truth,  saying — 

"  Not  for  these  My  disciples  alone  do  I  ask,  but  for  all 
people  who  shall  believe  in  Me  throughout  the  world,  that 
they  may  all  be  of  one  spirit.  As  Thy  Spirit  is  in  Me,  and  I 
am  united  to  Thee,  so  may  they  be  united  in  Spirit  to  Us, 
that  the  world  may  believe  that  Thou  didst  send  Me."  Then 
Jesus  again  prayed  to  God  that  all  people  who  believed  on 
Him  might  become  one  in  spirit  with  Him,  saying,  "  The  glory 
which  Thou  gavest  Me,  I  have  given  to  My  disciples,  that  they 
may  be  one  in  spirit  with  Me,  just  as  We  are  One  Spirit.  My 
Spirit  being  in  them,  and  Thy  Spirit  in  Me,  that  so  they  may 
be  made  perfect  in  one  spirit,  that  the  world  may  know  that 
Thou  didst  send  Me,  and  lovest  them  as  Thou  lovest  Me." 
And  in  this  beautiful  ending  of  His  prayer.  He  asked  that 
His  disciples  should  have  Heaven,  in  these  words — 

"  My  Father  !  I  wish  that  those  whom  Thou  hast  given  Me, 
may  be  with  Me  where  I  am ;  that  they  may  see  the  glory, 
which  Thou  hast  given  Me,  for  Thou  didst  love  Me  before  the 
world  was.  O  Righteous  Father  !  the  world  knew  Thee  not, 
but  I  knew  Thee,  and  these  My  disciples  know  that  Thou 
didst  send  Me.  I  have  made  known  Thy  Name  to  them,  and 
will  make  it  known,  that  the  love  with  which  Thou  lovest  Me 
may  be  in  them,  and  My  Spirit  also." 

And  with  these  pleading  words,  that  the  Spirit  of  God 
should  be  as  strong  and  deep  in  His  disciples,  as  it  was  in 
Him,  the  voice  of  Jesus  ceased.  The  last  prayer  was  spoken  ; 
all  was  now  over.    But  before  going  out  from  a  Passover  supper 


412  THE    GARDEN    OF    GETHSEMANE. 

the  usual  fourth  cup  of  red  wine  and  water  was  poured  out 
and  handed  round  to  be  drunk,  a  short  psalm  was  sung,  and 
blessing  said,  and  then,  taking  again  their  cloaks,  sandals,  and 
long  sticks,  the  door  was  opened,  and  they  all  went  down 
the  outer  stair  into  the  moonlit  street  of  Jerusalem.  Jesus 
calm  and  confident,  the  disciples  fearful  of  something  myste- 
rious hanging  over  them,  which  filled  the  dark  shadows  with 
shifting  forms,  and  the  air  with  strange  sounds.  And  did  not 
a  cloaked  figure  retreat  into  the  darkness,  as  the  door  opened 
and  in  a  flood  of  light  the  white  form  of  Jesus  stepped  forth 
into  the  night — the  lurking  figure  of  Judas  Iscariot  ? 

There  are  many  things  in  this  beautiful  prayer  of  Jesus 
which  thou,  my  child,  wilt  not  understand,  but  thou  canst 
easily  remember  to  call  God  thy  Father  in  Heaven  when  thou 
pray  est,  as  Jesus  did,  and  to  ask  that  all  men  may  be  of  one 
spirit,  the  Spirit  of  Jesus,  which  is  the  Spirit  of  God.  Then 
indeed  would  He  be  King  over  all,  reigning  in  the  hearts  of 
men  in  His  Kingdom  of  Heaven  in  the  world. 


THE   GARDEN   OF   GETHSEMANE. 

JERUSALEM,  THURSDAY,   APRIL,  A.D.   34. 

It  would  be  about  eleven  o'clock  at  night  when  Jesus  and 
His  disciples  left  their  friend's  house  in  Jerusalem.  As  they 
turned  to  go  back  through  the  streets  by  which  they  had  come 
into  the  city  from  Bethany,  they  were  met  by  crowds  of 
people  com;ag  joyfully  in,  for  the  Passover  night  was  a  night 
of  great  rejoicing.  The  houses  were  lit  up  with  festive 
lamps,  the  streets  thronged  with  sightseers,  and  at  midnight 
the  Temple  gates  were  opened  wide,  that  the  people  might  go 
up  in  their  best  dresses,  with  gifts  in  their  hands  for  the  priests, 
and  continue  their  joyful  feast  in  the  great  Women's  court, 
which  was  made  almost  as  bright  as  day  by  the  dazzling  light  of 
the  full  moon.  It  was  a  night  when  few  people  went  to  bed. 
But  Jesus  preferred  to  go  away  into  the  quiet  country.  Pass- 
ing out  by  the  city  gate  and  across  the  Kedron  bridge,  He 


GOING    INTO    THE    GARDEN.  413 

saw  the  wild  water  flashing  in  the  moonlight,  deep  down 
below.  On  the  other  side  of  the  valley,  at  the  foot  of  the 
hill,  there  was  a  sheltered  spot,  laid  out  in  flower  gardens  and 
olive  groves,  a  favourite  place  for  the  people  of  Jerusalem  to 
walk  in  the  cool  evenings ;  and  there  was  a  lonely  garden 
there  called  Gethsemane,  the  garden  of  the  "  Oil  Press,"  into 
which  Jesus  often  went  with  His  disciples.  It  was  large  and 
noted  for  its  low-spreading,  silver-leaved  olive  trees,  that 
blossomed  white  in  early  Spring,  and  whose  dark  green  fruit, 
when  ripe,  was  gathered  and  pressed  for  oil ;  and  it  belonged 
to  a  friend  of  Jesus  who  allowed  Him  to  come  and  walk 
among  the  flowers  and  grass  under  the  green  trees,  whenever 
He  liked. 

And  as  they  walked  this  night  along  the  road  from  the  bridge 
to  Olivet,  Jesus,  who  was  in  front,  turned  aside  from  the  people 
and  went  through  the  gate  into  this  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  and 
His  disciples  followed  Him  into  the  shade  of  the  olive  trees, 
through  which  the  moonlight  fell  in  broken  patches  on  the 
flowers  and  grass.  And  all  was  still  and  hushed  around  them, 
as  they  walked  into  the  deeper  solitude.  But  there  was  one 
who  saw  them  go  in,  and  he  turned  and  ran  back  to  the  city 
with  the  news — Judas  Iscariot.  Following  the  winding  path- 
way into  the  depths  of  the  garden,  they  came  to  a  grassy  place, 
and  Jesus  turned  round  and  faced  His  disciples,  and  they  saw 
that  He  was  sad  and  troubled,  as  He  said  to  them — 

"  Sit  you  here,  while  I  go  yonder  and  pray,"  pointing  to  a 
place  a  good  way  further  into  the  garden ;  and  taking  Peter, 
James,  and  John  with  Him,  He  walked  away.  And  as  they 
went,  they  saw  His  face  in  the  moonlight  that  a  great  change 
had  come  over  Him,  for  He  began  to  be  amazed  and  deeply 
troubled.  At  the  supper  He  had  been  cheerful  and  calm, 
on  the  road  He  had  gone  in  front  of  them,  but  now  He  seemed 
in  greater  trouble  than  they  had  ever  seen  Him  before ; 
oppressed  with  the  deepest  pain  and  sadness,  and  stopping. 
He  said,  in  a  voice  of  emotion — 

"  My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful,  even  to  death.  Wait  for 
Me  here,  and  watch,"     And  His  face  was  pale  as  He  turned 


414  PRAYING    AND    SLEEPING. 

from  the  three  men,  and  walked  with  bowed  head  deeper  into 
the  garden,  about  as  far  as  one  might  throw  a  stone.  Wrap- 
ping their  thick  cloaks  about  them,  they  lay  down  on  the  grass 
to  watch  Jesus,  and  to  keep  guard  of  any  one  coming.  In 
the  glimpses  of  the  moon  breaking  through  the  olive  trees  they 
saw  Him  moving  on.  He  stood  still.  He  fell  upon  His  face. 
And  they  heard  Him  praying  to  His  Father  in  Heaven,  as 
though  in  the  greatest  agony  of  soul,  and  saying — 

"  Father  !  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  pass  away  from  Me. 
But  not  My  will,  but  Thine  be  done."  Something  was  caus- 
ing Him  the  most  exquisite  torture  of  mind.  What  it  was, 
the  disciples  did  not  know,  and  we  cannot  tell.  He  re- 
mained a  long  time  upon  His  face  in  prayer,  while  the  silver 
leaves  whispered  round  Him,  and  when  He  rose  and  returned 
to  the  three  men,  He  found  that  their  eyes  had  grown  weary 
with  watching,  and  they  were  all  asleep. 

"What!  Peter!  dost  thou  sleep?"  Jesus  said  in  surprise. 
"  Couldst  thou  not  watch  with  Me  for  one  hour  ?  "  Peter,  who 
had  promised  so  much,  already  asleep  at  his  watch  !  Then 
more  gently  Jesus  said  to  them  all,  "  Your  minds  are  will- 
ing, but  your  bodies  are  weak.  Watch  and  pray,  that  you 
may  not  be  tempted."  And  the  three  men  were  deeply 
grieved  to  see  the  sorrow  of  their  young  Master,  as  He  turned 
and  walked  back  into  the  shadowy  depths  of  the  garden,  where 
He  again  fell  upon  His  face,  and  they  heard  Him  again 
praying  to  His  Father  in  Heaven,  and  saying — 

"  O  My  Father  !  if  this  cannot  pass  away  from  Me  unless  I 
do  it,  then,  Thy  will  be  done."  I  cannot  tell  thee  what  led 
Jesus  back  into  these  dark  shades  thus  in  agony  to  pray  and 
implore  ;  but  it  was  with  pain  unspeakable  that  He  besought 
God  a  second  time  regarding  this  awful  thing.  Again  He 
remained  a  long  time  in  prayer,  prostrate  on  the  sweet  Spring 
grass,  for  when  He  returned  to  His  three  disciples,  they  were 
again  asleep,  and  awoke  with  a  start  to  find  Him  standing 
beside  them,  pale  and  sad,  looking  down  at  them,  but  saying 
nothing.  They  did  not  know  what  to  say.  They  were  filled 
with  shame  and  grief  that  they  should  enjoy  refreshing  sleep 


JUDAS  AND  THE  SOLDIERS.        415 

while  Jesus  was  suffering  such  agony.  Without  saying  a  word, 
He  turned  and  went  back  into  the  dark  depths  of  the  garden 
for  the  third  time,  to  pray  the  same  beseeching  prayer — 

"  O  My  Father  !  if  this  cannot  pass  away  from  Me  except 
I  do  it,  then.  Thy  will  be  done."  A  short,  brief,  intense  cry 
to  God,  uttered  with  even  greater  agony  and  earnestness  than 
before,  for  as  Jesus  continued  praying  the  sweat  of  His  brow 
ran  down  in  drops  of  red  blood,  dropping  upon  His  white 
tunic,  dropping  upon  the  quivering  grass.  He  grew  weak 
with  anguish,  and  through  the  black  olive  branches  there 
appeared  the  figure  of  an  angel  from  Heaven,  with  moon- 
light on  his  wings,  that  stood  beside  Him  strengthening 
Him.  When  Jesus  at  length  rose  to  His  feet  He  was  strong 
again.  The  trial  was  over.  He  had  defeated  all  the  terrors 
that  had  assailed  Him.  Calm  and  confident  now,  He  re- 
turned once  more  to  His  three  disciples,  to  find  them  again 
asleep  for  sorrow,  and  looking  at  them  in  pity  as  they  lay 
unconscious  at  His  feet.  He  said — 

"  Sleep  on  now,  and  take  your  rest,"  then  added  quickly,  as 
He  saw  the  light  of  a  torch  flashing  through  the  trees,  *'  See  ! 
I  am  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  wicked  men.  Rise  !  let  us 
go,  the  betrayer  is  near."  They  were  surprised— caught ! 
Springing  to  their  feet,  the  bewildered  disciples  looked  at 
Jesus,  but  no  longer  to  see  in  His  face  the  signs  of  trouble 
and  almost  terror.  He  was  calm  now,  and  His  clear  dark 
eyes  had  again  that  light  in  them  with  which  He  used  to  meet 
His  enemies  in  the  Temple— but  those  blood  red  spots  on 
His  white  tunic  !  What  were  they?  And  what  these  voices, 
and  moving  lights  out  upon  the  road?  And  they  all  hastened 
forward  through  the  garden  to  rouse  the  other  disciples. 

My  child,  we  know  not  with  what  awful  thing  Jesus  was 
tried  in  that  garden,  but  it  was  for  us  He  bore  the  bitter 
agony.  Perhaps  the  spirit  of  evil  tempted  Him  with  terrible 
energy,  not  to  let  Himself  be  taken  a  prisoner,  not  to  die  at 
thirty-three,  but  to  finish  His  work  some  other  way— by  fleeing 
from  death.  But  Jesus  ever  left  His  will  with  God,  and  in 
the  end  He  had  strength  given  Him  which  never  wavered 


41 6  HE    IS    TAKEN    A    PRISONER. 

through  all  that  dreadful  night,  and  which  raised  Him  far 
above  His  judges,  their  insults,  their  scourging — above  death 
itself. 


HE  IS  TAKEN  A  PRISONER. 

JERUSALEM,    THURSDAY,    APRIL,    A.D.    34. 

While  Jesus  was  praying  in  the  moonlit  olive  garden, 
Judas  was  at  the  Golden  Temple.  He  told  the  priests  in 
breathless  haste  that  now  was  their  time  to  take  Him,  and  he 
found  everything  ready.  The  priests  had  been  to  Pilate,  the 
Roman  governor,  who  had  agreed  to  let  a  guard  of  Roman 
soldiers  go  with  them  to  keep  order.  Their  own  Temple  guards 
were  ready,  and  when  Judas  came  running,  hot  and  excited, 
with  the  news  that  Jesus  was  in  a  large  hedged-in  garden  only 
a  little  way  from  the  city  gate,  and  that  he  would  take  the 
soldiers  to  the  very  place ;  believing  that  they  might  never 
have  such  a  chance  again — in  a  lonely  garden  and  at  midnight 
— the  priests  decided  to  have  Jesus  taken  a  prisoner  at  once. 
They  sent  for  the  Roman  soldiers,  they  sent  for  the  Temple 
guards,  with  orders  to  bring  lanterns  to  see  Him,  and  cords 
to  bind  Him,  and  clubs, — for  the  guards  might  not  carry 
swords.  When  all  was  ready,  they  marched  quickly  down  the 
streets  from  the  Temple,  some  of  the  priests  going  with  them 
to  see  Jesus  taken.  On  the  way,  a  number  of  people,  attracted 
by  the  sight  of  armed  men  at  night,  followed  after  them,  and 
Judas  went  in  front,  to  lead  the  way.  It  was  about  midnight 
when  the  priests  and  soldiers  came  outside  the  garden  of 
Gethsemane,  and  they  stopped  in  the  road,  while  lanterns 
were  lit  and  hung  upon  poles — although  it  was  full  moonlight 
— and  torches  were  beaten  and  shaken  into  a  flame,  so  that 
every  shadow  and  recess  under  the  trees  might  be  carefully 
searched.  Judas  arranged  that  he  should  go  first  into  the 
garden,  as  though  he  were  still  a  friend,  and  speak  to  the 
disciples,  and  that  the  guards  should  follow  him  and  keep  him 
in  sight,  and  when  they  saw  him  kiss  some  one,  they  were  to 
rush  forward  at  once  and  secure  Him,  for  that  one  would  be 


WHOM    SEEK    YE?  417 

Jesus.  Perhaps  in  his  secret  thoughts  Judas  hoped  that  by 
this  scheme,  his  old  friends  the  disciples  might  never  know 
that  he  had  had  anything  to  do  with  the  capture  of  their  young 
Master. 

He  accordingly  went  in  first,  and  he  had  not  gone  far  until 
he  saw  the  little  group  of  Jesus  and  His  disciples  standing  to- 
gether in  the  moonlight,  and  he  went  towards  them  as  though 
he  had  finished  what  he  had  been  sent  out  from  the  supper- 
room  to  do,  and  was  joining  them  again.  But  before  he 
could  reach  them,  the  band  of  priests,  soldiers,  guards,  people 
with  smoking  torches  and  lamps  above  their  heads,  turned 
also  into  the  gate,  and  came  crowding  through  the  garden, 
lighting  up  with  lurid  glare  the  black  tree  stems  and  the 
silvery  leaves.  Judas,  hearing  them  coming  behind  him, 
hastened  on,  and  as  soon  as  he  reached  the  little  group, 
he  went  hurriedly  up  to  Jesus,  and  with  a  beating  heart 
exclaimed — 

"  Hail,  Master  !"  greeting  Jesus  as  they  all  used  to  do,  and 
pressing  forward  his  dusky  face,  he  would  have  kissed  Him 
again  and  again  with  great  effusiveness.  But  Jesus  stepped 
back. 

"  Judas  !  "  He  exclaimed,  "  wouldest  thou  betray  Me  with 
a  kiss?"  The  thing  was  too  horrible.  To  use  this  old  sign 
of  trust,  the  sign  of  greatest  love,  a  kiss  !  as  the  signal  to  His 
enemies  to  set  on  Him!  "Friend,"  Jesus  added,  as  Judas 
stood,  not  knowing  what  to  do  now,  for  the  guards  were  near, 
"  do  that  for  which  thou  art  come  out."  By  this  time  the 
soldiers  and  others,  hurrying  forward,  were  close  behind  Judas, 
standing  in  a  mixed  crowd  of  priests,  guards,  idlers,  with  their 
lights  smoking  uselessly  in  the  moonlit  air ;  they  also  were 
in  doubt,  for  they  had  not  seen  the  signal — Judas  had  kissed 
no  one. 

"Whom  do  you  seek?"  said  Jesus,  turning  to  them  and 
standing  in  front  of  His  disciples,  and  several  voices  answered 
from  the  crowd — 

"  Jesus  of  Nazareth  !  " 

"  I  am  He^'  was  His  clear  reply,  which  caused  the  foremost 


41 8  LET   THESE    MEN    GO. 

of  them  to  stagger  backward  and  fall,  for  there  was  no  fear  in 
that  face  and  voice,  but  rather  commanding  boldness.  They 
were  afraid  to  touch  Him  of  whom  they  had  heard  such 
wonderful  things,  and  kept  back,  while  the  Roman  soldiers 
looked  on,  for  they  were  there  to  keep  order  only,  not  to 
arrest  Jesus.  The  people  looked  to  each  other,  and  in  the 
confusion — 

*' Whom  do  you  seek?  "  Jesus  asked  again,  for  He  wished 
to  make  sure  that  His  disciples  would  not  be  taken. 

"Jesus  of  Nazareth,"  was  again  the  answer. 

"I  have  told  you  that  I  am  He,"  Jesus  answered  again; 
adding,  in  a  tone  of  command,  "  If  you  seek  Me  let  these  men 
go,"  pointing  to  His  disciples  as  He  spoke. 

His  words  gave  courage  to  the  guards,  for  evidently  there 
was  to  be  no  resistance,  and  coming  nearer,  they  were  going 
to  take  hold  of  Jesus,  but  when  the  disciples  saw  what  was 
about  to  be  done,  some  of  them  exclaimed — 

"Master  !  shall  we  strike  with  the  sword?"  and  Peter  and 
another  man  held  up  their  two  paltry  swords,  Jesus  did  not 
answer,  for  the  guards  were  upon  Him,  but  Peter  did  not  wait 
for  orders,  his  temper  was  up,  and  from  behind  Jesus  he 
aimed  a  hard  blow  at  the  head  of  the  first  man  who  attempted 
to  touch  his  young  Master,  a  blow  so  sudden  that  it  cut  off 
the  man's  ear.  Then  a  tumult  of  cries  arose,  the  Roman 
soldiers  who  stood  by  with  the  lights  reflected  on  their 
shining  armour  grasped  their  short  swords,  and  there  would 
have  been  fighting  and  bloodshed,  for  Peter  was  ready  for 
another  stroke,  had  not  Jesus  called  to  him  in  a  voice  of 
command — 

"  Peter,  put  up  thy  sword  into  its  sheath,"  With  a  scowling 
face  Peter  did  so  ;  and  Jesus  continued,  "  All  who  take  the 
sword,  shall  perish  with  the  sword."  And,  to  put  an  end  to 
all  thoughts  of  fighting,  He  said  to  His  disciples  as  they 
saw  Him  being  roughly  held  by  the  men  round  Him, 
"  Thinkest  thou  that  I  cannot  ask  My  Father  in  Heaven, 
and  He  shall  even  now  give  Me  more  than  twelve  legions  of 
angels?"     Then,  turning  to  the  wounded  man,  who  was  one 


WITH    SWORDS    AND    CLUBS.  419 

of  the  high  priest's  servants,  called  Malchus,  He  gently 
touched  his  ear  and  made  it  whole  again.  And  as  the  guards 
held  Jesus  firmly  and  tied  His  hands  with  rough  cords,  He 
saw  among  the  dusky  faces  about  Him,  some  of  the  chief 
priests  and  captains  of  the  Temple,  and  also  elders — the  men 
whom  two  days  before  He  had  called  vipers  and  hypocrites 
in  the  Temple  itself.  Looking  round  upon  the  brass  helmets 
and  shields,  the  iron  pikes  and  swords  of  the  silent  Roman 
soldiers,  who  stood  by  in  the  moonlight,  and  on  the  clubs  of 
their  own  Temple  guards,  Jesus  said  with  stinging  irony — 

"  Have  you  come  out  against  a  robber  with  swords  and 
clubs  to  take  Me  ?  I  sat  every  day  teaching  in  the  Temple, 
and  you  did  not  put  out  your  hands  against  Me.  But  this  is 
the  hour  of  your  triumph,  and  of  the  power  of  darkness." 
Now  when  the  disciples  heard  Jesus  say  that  there  was  to  be 
no  resistance,  and  that  His  enemies  had  triumphed,  they  grew 
afraid,  and  getting  out  of  the  crowd  as  quickly  as  they  could, 
they  all  forsook  Him  and  fled,  some  hiding  in  dark  parts  of 
the  garden,  some  running  out  to  the  roads  and  the  hills  as  if 
for  their  lives,  while  some  fled  to  Bethany  to  tell  them  there, 
that  Jesus  had  been  taken  a  prisoner  by  the  priests. 

A  Captive  !  with  His  hands  tied,  and  guarded  by  soldiers, 
as  though  He  had  been  secured  after  a  desperate  struggle, 
Jesus  was  led  away ;  and  soon  the  lights  and  the  clamour  of 
tongues  passed  out  of  the  moonlit  garden,  leaving  it  silent  and 
deserted,  save  for  the  voice  of  the  sad  night  wind,  and  the 
whispering  of  the  leaves  together,  and  for  the  crouching, 
trembling  figures  of  a  few  hiding  disciples.  Out  into  the 
road  He  was  taken,  deserted  by  all  His  friends,  and  yet  there 
was  one  who  followed — a  young  man,  supposed  to  have  been 
called  Mark.  Roused  from  his  sleep  by  the  noise,  and  hastily 
casting  on  a  thin  white  robe,  he  had  come  out  to  see  what  it 
all  meant,  and  hearing  that  his  friend  Jesus  had  been  taken  a 
prisoner,  he  followed  in  the  crowd.  But  it  became  known 
that  Mark  was  a  friend,  and  hands  were  laid  on  him  to  take 
him  a  prisoner  also,  but  loosening  his  white  robe  he  left  it  in 
their  hands  as  he  fled   away  and  disappeared  in  the  dark. 


420  BEFORE    THE    COCK    CROWS. 

Peter  and  John  also,  coming  out  of  their  hiding-places  in  the 
garden,  followed  the  guards  into  the  city  a  long  way  behind, 
to  hear  where  Jesus  was  taken  to. 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  remember,  that  it  is  not  by  swords 
and  by  fighting  that  any  good  thing  is  to  be  done  for  Jesus. 
His  power  is  far  above  swords,  and  it  is  nobler  to  bear  violence, 
than  to  meet  blow  with  blow. 


BEFORE    THE    COCK    CROWS. 

JERUSALEM,    FRIDAY,   APRIL,   A.D.    34. 

The  streets  of  Jerusalem  were  comparatively  quiet,  when 
the  guards  brought  Jesus  a  prisoner  into  the  city,  for  many  of 
the  people  were  at  the  midnight  services  in  the  Temple  or  in 
their  own  houses.  They  did  not  take  Him  to  the  Temple, 
for  that  would  have  been  to  tempt  a  riot,  but  they  took  Him 
across  the  great  high  bridge  over  the  Tyropoean  Valley  which 
ran  through  the  city,  and  to  the  palace  of  Annas  in  the  upper 
town  on  the  side  of  Mount  Zion,  behind  the  Temple.  Now 
Annas  was  a  great  man,  chief  of  the  most  powerful  of  the  Sad- 
ducee  families.  He  was  seventy  years  of  age,  and  had  at  one 
time  been  high-priest  for  over  seven  years,  and  he  had  five 
sons  who  had  each  been  high-priest  in  turn  after  him.  He 
was  also  father-in-law  to  Caiaphas,  the  present  high-priest, 
who  was  completely  under  his  influence.  Rich  and  greedy,  he 
hated  Jesus  for  the  way  He  had  spoken  of  the  priests,  and  the 
traders  in  the  Temple  from  whom  he  made  money,  and  when 
Jesus  was  Jtought  in  by  the  guards  to  stand  before  him  with 
His  hands  tied,  the  eyes  of  Annas  glittered  with  wicked  satis- 
faction, as  he  looked  at  His  pale  face  and  blood-spotted  tunic. 

As  soon  as  the  armed  guards  had  left  the  Temple  to  take 
Jesus  a  prisoner,  the  chief  priests  arranged  that  whenever  Jesus 
came  into  the  city,  their  council  should  meet  at  the  palace  of 
the  high-priest,  and  have  Him  at  once  brought  before  them  for 
examination.  And  now  while  the  guards  kept  Him  safely  a 
captive  at  his  palace,  the  old  man  Annas  sent  messages  to  the 
Temple  and  to  Caiaphas  and  the  other  councillors,   to  tell 


AT    ANNAS  S    HOUSE.  42  I 

them  that  Jesus,  their  enemy,  had  been  taken,  and  to  come 
immediately  to  the  high- priest's  palace  on  Mount  Zion. 

They  were  to  meet  there  to  try  Jesus,  chief  Priests,  Lawyers, 
Elders — serpents  !  vipers  !  hypocrites  ! — to  be  at  once  His 
accusers  and  His  judges,  for  they  had  power  to  ifind  Him 
guilty  of  breaking  their  religious  laws,  and  deserving  of  death, 
and  then  they  thought  they  could  get  the  Roman  governor  to 
put  Him  to  death.  They  would  try  Jesus  at  once  before  their 
small  council,  although  it  was  in  the  night  time,  and  at  day- 
break they  would  get  the  large  Council  to  confirm  their  sen- 
tence, hurry  Him  before  the  Roman  governor,  and  have  Him 
put  to  death  before  His  friends  could  be  able  to  raise  the 
people  in  His  favour.  But  to  do  this,  they  would  have  to  set 
aside  the  rules  of  their  Council  for  all  such  trials  and  the  laws 
of  their  country,  among  which  were  the  following  :  That  every 
prisoner  must  have  some  one  to  speak  for  him ;  that  the 
prisoner  was  innocent  until  witnesses  proved  him  guilty ;  that 
no  trial  could  go  on  in  the  night ;  that  the  sentence  could 
not  be  given  till  the  day  after  the  trial;  that  an  execution 
could  not  take  place  till  the  day  after  the  sentence  ;  that  there 
must  be  some  one  to  accuse  the  prisoner ;  that  it  needed  two 
witnesses  to  prove  a  thing,  and  that  an  enemy  could  not  sit 
in  the  council  to  judge  him ;  and  all  the  rules  were  to  be 
observed  with  extra  care  in  cases  of  life  and  death.  But  the 
chief  Priests  resolved  that  the  trial  of  Jesus  must  go  on  at 
o?ice,  night  or  no  night,  and  having  broken  this  important 
rule,  they  found  no  difficulty  in  setting  the  other  rules  aside, 
as  they  came  up,  until  the  whole  trial  of  Jesus  became  such 
a  mockery,  that  very  soon  after  it  began  He  refused  to  speak 
again,  letting  them  do  as  they  pleased. 

Having  sent  for  the  councillors,  Annas  ordered  the  guards 
to  take  Jesus,  bound,  to  the  high-priest's  palace,  which  was 
higher  up  the  hill  among  the  gardens  and  palaces  on  Mount 
Zion.  Out  of  the  lighted  courtyard  of  Annas's  house  the 
guards  conducted  Him  into  the  main  street,  and  marched  up 
the  hill  till  they  came  to  the  gate  of  the  gardens  round  Caia- 
phas's  palace.     Going   through   the  beautiful  gardens,  they 


422  AT    CAIAPHAS  S    PALACE. 

came  to  the  gate  of  the  outer  court  of  the  palace,  through 
which  they  passed.  Crossing  this  court  they  went  through  a 
low,  strong  stone  archway,  which  was  the  entrance  to  the 
inner  court,  that  was  planted  with  shady  trees  and  sweet 
flowers,  round  which  the  palace  with  its  pavements,  terraces, 
arches,  and  pillars  of  marble,  was  built.  The  people  who 
followed  the  guards  crowded  into  this  open  inner  court  to  see 
what  would  be  done  with  Jesus,  but  the  guards  took  Him  up 
some  broad  marble  steps  to  a  terrace  above,  there  to  wait 
until  the  councillors  were  ready  inside  the  palace. 

Peter  and  John  had  followed  Jesus  into  the  city,  and  also 
from  Annas's  house  to  Caiaphas's  palace,  and  John,  who  knew 
the  doorkeeper  at  the  stone  archway,  got  into  the  inner  court- 
yard with  the  crowd  ;  but  Peter  was  stopped  at  the  inner  gate, 
because  he  was  not  known.  When  John  missed  Peter,  he 
went  to  the  young  girl  who  kept  the  gate,  and  got  Peter  in  as 
his  friend,  and  they  went  over  to  a  large  fire  of  glowing  char- 
coal that  the  guards  had  lighted  in  an  iron  brazier  in  the 
palace  yard  to  warm  themselves,  for  the  night  was  cold. 
While  they  stood  there,  the  girl  who  kept  the  gate,  coming 
over  to  the  fire,  noticed  that  Peter  was  a  stranger,  and  going 
up  to  him,  looked  closely  at  his  face,  lit  up  by  the  red  glare 
of  the  fire,  and  said  to  the  guards  who  were  near — 

"  This  man  was  also  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth,"  for  she  recog- 
nised Peter.  Her  careless  remark,  which  may  have  meant 
little,  frightened  him. 

"Woman  !  I  do  not  know  Him,"  Peter  exclaimed  hastily; 
"nor  do  i' understand  thee,"  he  added,  telling  a  double  lie. 
The  girl  turned  away,  but  Peter  felt  very  uncomfortable  stand- 
ing there  among  the  guards.  And  leaving  the  fire,  he  went 
over  to  the  dark  stone  archway  at  the  entrance  gate,  to  stand 
where  he  would  not  be  so  much  noticed.  But  the  servants  of 
the  high-priest  were  there,  talking  about  Jesus,  and  of  how  all 
His  disciples  had  fled  and  escaped,  and  that  some  of  them 
might  be  lurking  about  to  see  what  was  done,  and  the  same 
girl,  seeing  Peter  again,  and  not  believing  what  he  had  said  at 
the  fire,  said  to  her  friends,  as  she  pointed  to  him — 


WITH    OATHS    AND    CURSES.  423 

"This  is  one  of  them."  But  Peter  denied  it,  exclaiming 
with  an  oath,  as  was  the  fashion  among  the  common  people 
of  the  time,  that  he  was  not ;  and  so  he  escaped  again. 

From  the  gateway  he  went  away  uneasily  to  another  part 
of  the  court,  from  which  he  could  see  Jesus  standing  with 
His  guards  on  the  terrace  above,  and  he  waited  there  a  good 
time.  While  he  stood  watching  what  was  being  done,  the 
girl  told  some  of  the  men  about  her,  and  they  began  to  think 
that  Peter  had  no  right  there  at  all,  and  some  of  those  who 
had  heard  him  speak  at  the  fire  came  over  to  him  again. 

*'  Indeed  thou  art  one  of  them,  for  thy  way  of  speaking 
showeth  thee  to  be  from  Galilee,"  said  one  of  the  men. 

"Did  I  not  see  thee  in  the  garden  with  Him?"  exclaimed 
another,  going  close  up  to  him,  a  relation  of  the  very  servant 
whose  ear  Peter  had  cut  off  in  Gethsemane. 

"  Man,"  exclaimed  Peter  in  fear,  "  I  do  not  know  what 
thou  sayest !  I  do  not  know  this  man  Jesus  of  whom  you 
speak."  And  with  oaths  and  curses  he  swore  that  what  he 
said  was  true.  With  doubtful  looks  the  men  went  away,  leav- 
ing Peter  standing  alone ;  and  in  the  silence  which  followed 
his  loud  curses,  he  heard  for  the  first  time,  far  away  outside 
the  palace  walls,  sounding  weirdly  in  the  night  wind,  the  dis- 
tant crowing  of  a  cock.  At  once  he  looked  to  Jesus,  and  at 
that  instant  Jesus  also  looked, — perhaps  He,  too,  had  heard 
the  oaths  and  the  cock-crow,  their  eyes  met  for  an  instant, 
and  Peter  turned  suddenly  away.  The  sight  of  that  calm 
pale  face  brought  back  with  a  rush  what  Jesus  had  said  in 
the  supper-room — That  Peter  would  three  times  deny  that 
he  knew  Him  ;  and  overcome  with  shame  and  sorrow,  Peter 
hurried  out  of  the  lighted  courtyard,  out  into  the  dark  street, 
and  wept  bitterly,  as  he  thought  again  and  again  of  what  he 
had  done. 

My  child,  it  is  not  likely  that  thou  wilt  ever  have  to  risk 
thy  life  or  liberty  by  acknowledging  that  thou  art  a  follower  of 
Jesus,  but  often  thou  wilt  have  to  choose  whether  thou  wilt 
deny  Him  and  have  a  little  more  money,  a  little  more  praise, 
a  little  more  pleasure,  or  idleness,  or  power,  or  by  acknowledg- 


424  A    MOCK    TRIAL. 

ing  Him  lose  some  of  these ;  and  I  trust  thou  wilt  not  hesitate 
which  to  do. 

"Jesus  bids  us  shine,  with  a  pure,  clear  light, 
Like  a  httle  candle  burning  in  the  night;  • 

In  the  world  there's  darkness,  so  we  must  shine, — 
You  in  your  small  corner,  I  in  mine." 


A   MOCK   TRIAL. 

JERUSALEM,   FRIDAY,   APRIL,   A.D.   34. 

It  took  some  time  to  get  the  council  of  priests  gathered  to- 
gether in  the  middle  of  the  night.  Some  were  in  bed  asleep, 
and  others  were  at  the  midnight  Temple  services ;  but  while 
they  were  gathering,  Caiaphas  sent  for  other  men  from  different 
parts  of  the  city ;  men  who  had  before  said  things  against  Jesus  ; 
that  they  might  come  and  be  witnesses  at  the  trial  which  was 
to  go  on  at  once.  The  members  of  the  council  came  in  by 
the  arched  gateway,  and  hurrying  up  the  broad  steps,  went 
into  the  palace,  which  was  now  lighted  up,  but  the  witnesses 
waited  in  the  palace  yard  below,  where  there  were  a  good 
number  of  people  and  guards. 

It  was  past  midnight.  At  length  Caiaphas  thought  that  a 
sufficient  number  of  Priests  and  Lawyers  had  arrived  to  go  on 
with  the  trial,  and  going  into  the  lighted  council  hall,  they  all 
took  their  places.  Jesus  was  sent  for.  The  guards  led  Him 
up  the  broad  marble  steps,  through  the  splendid  palace,  and 
into  the  council  hall.  With  His  hands  still  tied  with  cords, 
although  He  had  made  no  attempt  to  escape,  and  with  an 
officer  standing  beside  Him,  He  was  placed  before  His  judges. 
There,  in  a  half  circle,  the  old  men  sat  cross-legged  upon  their 
red  cushions,  with  Caiaphas  in  the  middle,  and  Annas  beside 
him,  and  his  brothers,  John  and  Alexander,  scowling  under 
their  priests'  hats — the  men  whom  He  had  called  vipers  and 
hypocrites, — His  judges  ! 

Pale,  tired,  fearless,  Jesus  stood  silently  facing  them.  His 
tall  strong  figure  clad  in  a  countryman's  simple  white  tunic, 
alas  !   now  blood-spotted  and  soiled  with  the  hands  of  His 


THE    FIRST    BLOW.  425 

captors,  His  hands  still  tied  tightly  in  front  of  Him.  As  He 
looked  round  at  the  show  of  formality  with  which  His  judges 
were  arranged,  He  thought  He  was  to  be  lawfully  and  pro- 
perly tried,  and  was  ready  to  answer  any  charge  that  might  be 
brought  against  Him,  but  He  must  first  hear  of  what  He  was 
accused.  There,  in  fine  white  robes,  as  His  principal  judge, 
sat  Caiaphas,  who,  about  three  months  before,  had  advised  the 
council  that  Jesus  should  be  killed  for  the  public  safety, 
and  round  him,  as  junior  judges,  sat  the  men  who  had  then 
agreed  that  He  must  die. 

The  trial  began.  Caiaphas,  as  president  of  the  council, 
first  asked  Jesus  what  had  become  of  His  disciples,  their 
names,  and  all  about  them ;  and  Jesus  answered  these 
questions.  Caiaphas  perhaps  expected  the  disciples  would 
have  been  taken  prisoners  with  Him.  He  then  asked  Jesus 
to  tell  the  council  what  He  had  sec7'etly  taught  the  people, 
and  what  was  the  object  of  His  teaching.  He  believed  He 
had  been  secretly  telling  the  people  that  He  was  the  Christ, 
and  stirring  them  up  to  support  Him.  But,  before  any  of 
these  questions  were  put,  Jesus  should  have  been  told  of  what 
He  was  accused,  and  He  now  saw  that  this  haughty  priest 
Caiaphas  was  artfully  trying  to  get  Him  to  say  things  on 
which  to  found  a  charge  against  Him,  of  secretly  setting 
the  people  against  the  Roman  power;  and  He  answered 
him  calmly,  by  asking  for  His  accusers,  saying — 

"  I  have  spoken  openly  to  all  men,  in  the  Temple  and 
in  the  churches,  where  the  people  meet.  I  have  said  nothing 
in  secret.  Why,  then,  dost  thou  ask  Me  what  I  have  taught  ? 
Rather  ask  the  people  who  have  heard  Me,  to  tell  what  I  have 
said  to  them.  They  know  all  that  I  have  said."  The  reply 
that  Jesus  got  was  a  heavy  blow  from  the  hand  of  His  guard, 
who  exclaimed — 

"Dost  Thou  answer  the  high-priest  so?"  And  Caiaphas 
saw  the  blow  given,  but  said  nothing.  It  was  usual  for 
prisoners  to  cringe  and  whine  before  him,  and  he  was  not 
sorry  to  see  Jesus  struck  in  this  outrageous  manner  for 
speaking  like  his  equal.     This  blow,  passing  unrebuked,  told 


426  MANY    WITNESSES. 

Jesus  only  too  plainly  that  the  whole  proceedings  were  a 
mockery, — that  He  was  there  to  be  punished,  not  to  be 
tried.  And  it  was  the  first  of  many  blows  that  He  would 
receive  that  night. 

"  If  I  have  ever  spoken  wickedly  to  the  people,"  Jesus 
said,  turning  to  the  officer  who  struck  Him,  "  come  forward 
as  a  witness  and  give  evidence  against  Me.  But  if  I  have 
not  done  so,  why  didst  thou  strike  Me?"  No  one  replied  to 
this  appeal,  but  the  officer  did  not  forget  the  rebuke  of  Jesus 
when  afterwards  he  had  Him  in  his  power. 

Caiaphas  now  ordered  evidence  to  be  brought,  since  Jesus 
would  not  confess  to  any  fault,  and  called  for  the  witnesses 
to  come  in  who  had  before  spoken  against  Him.  True  or 
false,  they  must  come  and  speak.  Men  were  accordingly 
brought  in,  one  by  one,  and  questioned  as  to  what  they  had 
to  say.  The  first  man  who  came  said  a  trifling  thing  and 
went  out.  The  next  man  who  came  would  not  say  the  same 
thing  as  the  first,  but  said  some  other  trifling  thing,  and 
went  out ;  the  third  man  said  something  quite  different  from 
the  other  two,  and  would  not  support  what  they  had  said 
— and  so  the  trial  went  on.  But  no  two  men  could  be  got 
to  accuse  Jesus  of  the  same  thing,  and  the  council  became 
very  uneasy,  and  some  of  the  judges  rose  and  went  quietly 
out,  to  look  for  more  and  better  witnesses  and  to  prepare 
them  beforehand.  Going  into  the  palace  yard  below,  they 
sought  for  men  to  speak  against  Him,  and  though  many 
false  witnesses  came  and  spoke,  yet  even  the  council  saw 
that  the  men  had  said  nothing  against  Jesus  which  deserved 
the  death  sentence.  At  last  two  men  came  forward  who 
remembered  the  words  that  He  had  used  in  the  Temple 
three  years  before,  and  they  said  this — 

"We  heard  Him  say  that  He  was  able  to  destroy  the 
Temple,-  and  to  build  it  in  three  days,  or  that  He  would 
destroy  the  Temple  that  was  made  with  hands,  and  build  a 
temple  without  hands  in  three  days,  or  words  like  these  ; " 
but  even  about  this  thing  the  two  witnesses  did  not  quite 
agree.     The  night  was  passing,  and  Caiaphas  got  impatient 


ART    THOU    THE    CHRIST?  427 

and  angry  with  the  stupid  men.  He  was  angry  that  Jesus 
had  not  asked  the  witnesses  any  questions,  and  even  when 
these  two  men  so  nearly  agreed  in  what  they  said,  He 
seemed  as  though  He  would  take  no  notice  of  them  also. 
Ordering  the  men  to  remain,  Caiaphas  demanded  of  Jesus — 

"Answerest  Thou  nothing?  What  hast  Thou  to  reply 
to  what  these  men  say  against  Thee?"  Jesus  knew  that 
it  was  useless  to  speak  about  accusations,  defences,  rules 
of  court,  false  evidence,  or  justice,  at  a  mock  trial  in  the 
middle  of  the  night,  and  before  His  bitterest  enemies,  itself 
an  outrage  of  all  law ;  and  He  remained  silent. 

Caiaphas  trembled  with  anger.  Not  answer  him  !  the 
high-priest  of  Jerusalem  !  It  was  an  insult !  What  was  to 
be  done?  Should  they  find  Jesus  guilty  of  these  confused 
sayings  about  the  Temple?  The  councillors  whispered  to 
each  other  with  heads  together,  and  the  people  looked  on,  for 
evidently  the  trial  had  come  to  a  standstill.  Caiaphas  and 
Annas  whispered  together.  They  wished  to  have  it  proved 
that  Jesus  had  told  the  people  that  He  was  the  promised 
Christ,  and  that  the  people  expected  Him  to  free  them  from 
their  Roman  conquerors.  Why  would  these  stupid  witnesses 
not  say  what  was  wanted  ?  Caiaphas  knew  that  Jesus  had  said 
He  was  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  which  by  their  law  was 
blasphemy  to  say ;  and  he  could  bear  this  delay  no  longer. 
Sweeping  aside  the  few  paltry  rules  of  prudence  which  they 
had  been  pretending  to  observe,  he  sprang  to  his  feet  in  a 
passion,  and  exclaimed  loudly  to  Jesus — 

"  I  adjure  Thee  by  the  living  God  to  tell  us  whether  Thou 
art  the  Christ  the  Son  of  God?  "  There  stood  the  eager  high- 
priest,  trembling  with  anger  through  every  fold  of  his  rich 
white  robe  ;  there  stood  Jesus,  the  Carpenter's  Son,  strong, 
bound,  meeting  his  stare  calmly ;  and  there  sat  the  council  on 
their  cushions,  while  dusky  faces  crowded  at  the  door,  watch- 
ing the  two  as  they  faced  each  other. 

''  I  am,'"  said  Jesus,  calmly.  "  And  you  shall  see  Me  sitting 
at  the  right  hand  of  God,  and  coming  with  the  clouds  of 
Heaven."     Seizing  his  linen  robes  suddenly  with  both  hands 


428  STRUCK    BY    SOLDIERS. 

on  his  breast,  Caiaphas  rent  them  in  twain  to  his  innermost 
garment,  exclaiming  with  ill-concealed  joy  as  he  did  so — 

"  He  hath  spoken  blasphemy  !  making  Himself  equal  with 
God.  We  need  no  more  witnesses  ! "  And  he  sank  down 
upon  his  rich  soft  cushion  as  though  deeply  shocked.  It  was 
now  his  place,  as  president,  to  take  the  vote  of  the  council  as 
to  the  guilt  of  the  prisoner. 

"You  have  heard  the  blasphemy?"  he  said,  looking  to 
right  and  left  of  him.  "What  do  you  think?  Doth  He 
deserve  death?"  And  with  great  gravity  all  the  council 
answered  that  Jesus  deserved  to  die  for  speaking  blasphemy — 
for  saying  He  was  the  Son  of  God.  Orders  were  then  given 
that  He  should  be  taken  away  and  kept  safely,  to  be  brought 
again  before  a  meeting  of  the  whole  council  at  daybreak,  to 
have  the  sentence  of  death  confirmed.  And  as  the  councillors 
left  the  adjourned  meeting,  they  thought  that  Caiaphas  had 
managed  the  trial  splendidly,  for  when  the  accusation  had 
broken  down,  by  one  master-stroke  he  had  forced  from  the 
lips  of  the  Prisoner  an  admission  that  put  the  matter  beyond 
a  doubt.  And  as  Caiaphas  went  away  to  get  a  few  hours' 
sleep  on  his  silken  couch  before  daybreak,  he  felt  very  proud 
and  satisfied  with  the  part  he  had  taken  that  night. 

And  what  thinkest  thou,  my  child,  of  the  officer  who  struck 
Jesus,  bound  and  in  the  power  of  His  enemies  ?  How  mean  ! 
how  cruel !  how  cowardly  !  Beware,  then,  of  the  bad  spirit 
that  would  inflict  humiliation,  annoyance,  or  pain,  upon  any 
one  who  may  be  placed  in  thy  power ;  but  rather  be  the 
soother  of  tlie  sorrowing  heart,  whether  of  the  innocent  or  of 
the  guilty,  and  withhold  not  from  them  thy  sympathy  and 
kindness. 

STRUCK   BY   SOLDIERS. 

JERUSALEM,   FRIDAY,    APRIL,   A.D.    34. 

Condemned  !  Jesus  was  led  away  from  the  lighted  council 
hall  in  charge  of  the  officer  who  first  struck  Him,  out  through 
the  thronged  doorway,  and  down  the  broad  crowded  steps  to 


IN    THE    GUARD    ROOM.  429 

the  palace-yard  below.  And  as  He  passed  through  the  guards 
on  the  stairs  they  struck  at  Him,  as  they  had  seen  their  officer 
do  in  the  hall,  and  which  had  seemed  to  please  Caiaphas. 
Now,  a  man  condemned  to  die  was  always  an  object  for  cruel 
sport  to  these  Temple  guards,  and  seeing  the  officers  striking 
Jesus,  the  men  struck  Him  too,  as  He  was  led  in  cruel  pro- 
cession across  the  palace-yard  to  the  guard-room.  But  He 
said  not  a  word,  not  even  shielding  Himself  from  their 
blows. 

The  search  for  false  witnesses  had  not  passed  unobserved 
by  the  people,  and  they  soon  guessed  that  their  masters 
would  not  be  sorry  to  see  Jesus  degraded  and  ridiculed. 
There  were  still  some  hours  before  daybreak,  when  the 
council  was  to  meet  again ;  and,  regardless  of  His  pale, 
tired  face,  the  Temple  guards  and  servants  of  the  high- 
priest,  imitating  their  masters,  began,  amid  shouts  of  hideous 
laughter,  to  make  Jesus  the  Christ  !  the  Son  of  God !  the 
butt  of  their  coarse  wits.  But  still  He  remained  silent, 
answering  not  a  word ;  and  as  with  Caiaphas,  so  with  the 
guards — His  silence  made  them  the  more  angry.  They 
hated  to  see  His  mind  so  calm  and  untouched  by  all  their 
rude  insults  and  impudent  jeers ;  and  first  with  words,  then 
with  blows,  they  tried  to  force  Him  to  speak,  His  silence  being 
their  point  of  attack.     They  would  make  Jesus  speak. 

"  Prophesy  who  struck  Thee,"  said  one  coming  behind 
Him  and  smiting  Him  upon  the  back,  while  the  others  laughed 
at  the  brutal  wit.  Others  followed  in  the  same  way  with  differ- 
ent questions.  But  still  He  remained  silent.  Growing  tired  of 
this,  and  to  show  their  contempt  for  such  silence,  some  one 
stepped  up  to  Him  and  spat  in  His  face — the  greatest  insult 
that  a  Jew  could  give ;  and  others  came  and  did  the  same, 
while  their  companions  laughed  at  the  patience  with  which 
Jesus  bore  it.  The  shouts  of  laughter  in  the  lighted  guard- 
room attracted  the  attention  of  those  who  were  out  in  the 
palace-yard,  and  soon  the  room  and  doorway  were  crowded 
with  lookers  on. 

At  length  a  kind  of  game  was  got  up,  with  Jesus  as  the 


430  BLOWS,    JEERS,    LAUGHTER. 

victim.  He  had  been  called  a  Prophet  by  His  friends  the 
Galileans.  The  guards  whispered  together.  They  would 
try  Him.  Binding  a  napkin  over  His  eyes,  so  that  He  could 
not  see,  they  pushed  Jesus  out  into  the  middle  of  the 
floor,  where  He  stood,  with  His  hands  still  bound  with 
cords. 

"  Prophesy,  thou  Christ !  who  struck  Thee,"  said  one, 
stepping  up  to  Him  as  he  spoke,  and  giving  Him  a  sudden 
buffet  on  the  face  which  made  the  strong  young  Countryman 
stagger.  But  Jesus  answered  not  a  word.  And  others  came 
up,  and  still  He  stood,  pale,  silent,  blindfolded,  bound,  while 
they  struck  Him  surprising  cuffs  and  sudden  blows,  to  the 
amusement  of  the  rest.  And  though  there  were  many  hands 
to  strike,  there  was  not  one  voice  to  say  that  there  had  been 
enough  of  this  shocking  cruelty.  Surely  the  officer  whom 
Jesus  rebuked  in  court  had  had  his  revenge  ! 

At  length  a  grey  streak  appeared  in  the  Eastern  sky  beyond 
Olivet,  and  the  torches  in  the  palace-yard  and  the  lamps 
in  the  guard-room  grew  yellow,  feeble,  smoky,  as  the  merciful 
angel  of  the  dawn,  with  fingers  dipped  in  rose,  drew  aside  the 
curtain  of  that  dreadful  night,  revealing  a  pure  blue  heaven 
beyond  the  world.  The  messengers  of  Caiaphas  had  been  sent 
to  all  the  members  of  the  great  council  of  Priests  and  Rulers, 
pressing  them  to  attend  an  important  meeting  at  daybreak. 
Some  time  before  the  dawn,  they  were  gathered  in  the  council 
hall ;  and  Caiaphas,  rising  from  his  couch  of  silk  and  carefully 
dressing  himself,  went  in  and  took  his  seat  again  upon  his 
crimson  cushion,  in  the  midst  of  the  full  council.  Close 
beside  him  sat  the  old  serpent  Annas. 

In  a  few  words  Caiaphas  explained  to  the  large  council 
what  had  taken  place  at  their  midnight  gathering,  and  that  they 
were  summoned  in  haste  to  condemn  Jesus  to  death,  as  had 
been  arranged  at  previous  meetings  ;  and  it  was  resolved  to  have 
Him  brought  in  to  repeat  what  He  had  said  before.  They 
all  looked  to  the  door,  and  soon  they  saw  Jesus  led  into  the 
beautiful  hall  of  marble  and  gilding — wearied,  with  hair  dis- 
ordered, clothes  soiled,  face  unwashed.     He  came  forward  and 


CONDEMNED    AGAIN.  43I 

Stood  calmly  facing  the  council,  among  whom  He  recognised 
more  of  the  vipers  !  serpents  !  hypocrites  !  of  the  Temple. 

"Art  Thou  the  Christ?  tell  us,"  said  Caiaphas  once  more. 
Jesus,  who  had  been  silent  for  hours,  spoke  again. 

"If  I  tell  you,  you  will  not  believe  Me,"  He  answered 
wearily,  for  He  knew  it  was  all  a  mockery.  "  And  if  I  were 
to  ask  you  anything,  you  would  not  answer  Me,"  He  added 
sadly.  "  But  after  this,  I  shall  be  seated  at  the  right  hand  of 
the  power  of  God."  And  He  stopped.  The  council  of  not 
less  than  twenty-three  councillors  whispered  together.  The 
answer  was  not  satisfactory.  It  was  not  what  they  wanted. 
Another  question  must  be  put. 

"  Art  Thou,  then,  the  Son  of  God  ?  "  Caiaphas  demanded 
again,  and  all  were  silent  as  they  leant  forward  to  catch  the 
answer. 

"  Thou  sayestit,  because  I am^^  Jesus  replied.  Then  all  the 
judges  pretended  to  be  very  much  shocked,  and  were  very  well 
pleased,  as  they  sat  back  and  said  to  each  other — 

"  We  do  not  need  witnesses,  for  we  have  heard  it  ourselves 
from  His  own  mouth."  And,  with  the  early  sunlight  stream- 
ing in  upon  their  white  hairs,  the  great  council  agreed  to  con- 
firm what  Caiaphas  and  the  smaller  meeting  had  done  in  the 
night  time.  Condemned  to  death  again  !  Jesus  was  ordered 
away  while  they  consulted  what  they  should  do  next,  for  it 
was  now  about  six  o'clock  in  the  morning.  And  they  resolved 
that  Jesus  should  be  taken  at  once  to  the  Roman  governor, 
and  that  some  of  the  council  should  go  and  tell  Pilate  of  what 
they  had  found  Him  guilty,  and  accuse  Him  of  other  things, 
and  demand  that  Pilate  should  order  Him  to  be  killed,  which 
he  alone  could  do.  And  the  great  council  separated,  some 
to  mingle  with  the  crowd  and  stir  them  up  with  cries  before 
Pilate's  palace. 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  learn  to  avoid  all  cruel  and 
thoughtless  amusements.  To  these  soldiers,  their  jeers  and 
buffetings  were  coarse  fun ;  but  to  Jesus  they  were  exquisite 
pain  and  sorrow.  Guard  thou  thy  lips,  that  no  foolish 
jeers    or    loose    ribaldry   shall    ever    escape    thee.       Thou 


432  THE    DEATH    OF    JUDAS. 

knowest  not  upon  what  pure  ear  or  tender  heart  thy  words 
may  fall. 

"  A  foolish  act,  or  an  idle  word, 

Too  lightly  done,  or  too  deeply  heard; 
A  harsh  reproof,  or  a  look  unkind, 

May  spoil  the  peace  of  a  gentle  mind." 


THE  DEATH   OF  JUDAS. 

JERUSALEM,   FRIDAY,  APRIL,  A.D.   34. 

After  Jesus  was  taken  a  prisoner  in  the  garden,  Judas  was 
pushed  aside  by  the  priests,  for  he  was  of  no  more  use  to 
them.  No  longer  praised  and  talked  to,  not  even  noticed, 
he  followed,  as  one  of  the  crowd  into  Jerusalem,  to  see 
where  they  would  take  Jesus  to.  From  the  house  of  Annas, 
he  went  to  Caiaphas's  palace,  and  there  he  saw  Peter  and 
John,  and  kept  out  of  their  way ;  and  when  he  heard  that 
Jesus  was  to  be  tried  in  the  night-time,  and  that  witnesses 
had  been  sent  for,  he  was  surprised  and  felt  uneasy.  While 
the  trial  was  going  on,  he  waited  in  the  palace-yard  below 
to  hear  the  result,  and  as  he  stood  there,  he  heard  himself 
called  the  false  disciple  who  had  betrayed  his  Master,  and 
began  to  feel  uncomfortable  and  wish  that  he  had  not  done 
it.  He  saw  Jesus,  with  His  hands  tied,  led  up  the  broad 
steps,  between  two  guards ;  and  when  some  councillors  came 
out  asking  eagerly  for  witnesses,  he  would  not  go  as  one.  He 
next  heard  that  no  more  witnesses  were  needed,  and  there 
was  a  leg  pause.  He  then  saw  the  white  figure  of  Jesus 
coming  down  the  broad  steps  again,  and  what !  the  guards 
were  striking  Him  !  and  the  word  "  Death  !  "  seemed  to  hiss 
through  the  air.  A  cold  sweat  broke  out  on  his  brow,  as  he 
heard  some  one  distinctly  say  that  Jesus  had  been  condemned 
to  death.  He  watched  them  take  Jesus  across  the  palace- 
yard  to  the  guard-room,  and  peering  in  at  the  ruddy  door, 
saw  his  young  Master,  pale  and  silent,  being  buffeted  and 
spat  upon  by  the  brutal  guards.  This  was  indeed,  too  bad  ! 
but  he  felt  certain  that  the  larger  council  would  never  confirm 


RUNNING  TO  THE  TEMPLE.         433 

the  spiteful  sentence  of  Caiaphas.  In  the  grey  hght  of  dawn 
he  saw  Jesus  go  up  into  the  palace  again,  then  there  was  a 
dreadful  half-hour  of  suspense,  and  again  he  saw  Him  com- 
ing down  the  great  white  marble  steps,  with  the  golden  sun- 
light falling  softly  upon  His  brown  hair  and  white  robe,  and 
again,  "Death!  death!  death!"  seemed  hissing  in  the  air. 
He  made  rapid  inquiry,  and  found  that  the  priests  had  con- 
demned Jesus  again,  and  were  going  to  take  Him  at  once  to 
Pilate  to  have  Him  killed.  Then  Judas  grew  alarmed.  He 
could  no  longer  deceive  himself  into  the  belief  that  all  was  safe, 
that  the  priests  would  not,  and  could  not,  kill  Jesus.  "  These 
cruel  men  will  do  anything,"  he  thought,  "after  such  an  out- 
rageous trial ;  "  and  a  wild  desire  came  over  him  to  have  this 
shameful  injustice  stopped.  He  believed  all  the  people  knew, 
as  he  did,  that  Jesus  was  innocent  of  any  crime.  Now  he 
realised  what  he  had  done  in  putting  Him  into  the  power  of 
these  wicked  men ;  and  he  resolved  at  all  risks  to  undo  the 
share  he  had  taken  in  this  terrible  night's  work,  and,  if  pos- 
sible, by  declaring  the  innocence  of  his  young  Master  to  save 
His  hfe. 

From  Caiaphas's  palace  Judas  ran  down  to  the  Temple, 
where  he  asked  to  see  the  men  with  whom,  in  his  anger,  he 
had  made  the  bargain  to  betray  Jesus.  Not  finding  them  at 
once  he  went  in  to  look  for  them,  going  from  court  to  court 
of  the  Temple,  until  he  got  as  far  as  he  dared  go ;  and  seeing 
some  of  the  priests  whom  he  sought,  in  the  Priests'  court 
within,  he  called  to  them.  With  wild  eyes  he  told  them  what 
was  being  done  to  Jesus,  who  was  innocent,  that  Caiaphas  had 
condemned  him  to  death,  and  he  asked  them  to  take  back 
their  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  holding  them  out  in  his  hand, 
while  he  implored  them  to  help  him  to  undo  the  mischief  he 
had  done,  as  he  exclaimed — 

"  I  have  been  wicked  !  because  I  have  betrayed  the  inno- 
cent One."  The  priests  looked  coldly  at  him  as  he  stood 
holding  out  the  money  at  the  edge  of  their  court,  past  which 
it  was  death  for  him  to  go.  But  his  haunted  looks  and  im- 
ploring words  could  not  move  these  calm,  cruel  men.     What 


434  FLINGING    BACK   THE    MONEY. 

Judas  had  done,  whether  bad  or  good,  was  nothing  to  them, 
and  keeping  him  at  a  distance,  they  answered  coldly — 

"What  doth  that  matter  to  us?  See  to  it  thyself."  And 
with  a  gesture  to  be  gone,  they  turned  away.  Judas  had 
served  their  turn,  and  might  perish  now  for  aught  they  cared. 
But  Judas  would  not  go.  Tortured  by  the  thought  of  what 
he  had  done,  and  their  refusal  to  help  him  to  save  Jesus,  he 
became  reckless.  What  was  life  to  him  now?  He  hated 
these  priests  in  their  white  linen  dresses  and  broad  hats,  and 
raising  the  money  aloft  in  his  hand,  he  hurled  it  with  all  his 
force  after  them  as  they  walked  away  towards  the  awful  Holy 
place,  and  it  fell  jingling  and  clashing  on  the  rich  marble 
pavement  with  a  loud  jarring  sound  that  echoed  through  the 
silence  of  the  court ;  and,  turning,  he  fled  from  the  Temple. 
Hated  by  his  old  companions  the  disciples,  hated  by  the 
priests,  despised  by  the  people,  Judas  could  not  bear  to  think 
of  his  young  Master  being  slowly  killed  and  he  powerless  to 
save  or  help  Him,  and  getting  a  rope,  he  crossed  the  deep, 
gloomy  vale  of  Hinnom,  and  among  black  and  jagged  rocks, 
from  the  branch  of  a  low  tree,  he  hanged  himself  that  very 
day,  and  was  dead  before  Jesus. 

The  priests  in  the  Temple  thought  it  better  to  take  no 
notice  of  this  confession  of  his  guilt  by  Judas,  and  they 
allowed  him  to  escape,  while  they  gathered  up  the  silver 
coins.  But  what  should  they  do  with  the  money?  Some  said 
they  should  put  it  back  into  the  Temple  money-box  whence 
it  was  taken,  but  others  said  no,  because  it  was  the  price  of 
Jesus'  life.'  And  these  very  righteous  hypocrites,  who  could 
take  the  money  out  to  bribe  Judas,  would  not  put  it  in  again, 
and  resolved  rather  to  buy,  from  a  Potter,  a  piece  of  ground 
which  they  wanted  as  a  burying  place  for  strangers. 

And  such,  my  child,  is  the  awfulness  of  remorse.  Judas 
tried  to  stop  the  consequences  of  his  wicked  act,  but  alas  ! 
the  power  had  passed  into  other  and  crueller  hands,  and  all 
the  sorrow  that  his  heart  could  hold,  would  not  move  these 
cold  priests  to  mercy.  And  so  Judas  died,  the  tool  of  wicked, 
cruel  men,  for  in  the  end  his  love  for  Jesus  had  returned. 


BEFORE    PILATE.  435 


BEFORE   PILATE. 

JERUSALEM,   FRIDAY,  APRIL,  A.D.   34. 

It  was  now  past  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  the  court- 
yard of  Caiaphas's  palace  was  in  a  stir,  for  a  strong  guard  was 
preparing  to  take  Jesus  to  Pilate.  Pilate  was  the  Roman 
governor  over  the  whole  country,  who  usually  Hved  at  the 
gay  Roman  town  of  Caesarea  by  the  side  of  the  blue  Medi- 
terranean sea,  but  at  the  Passover  Festival  he  came  up  over  the 
hills  of  Samaria  with  a  number  of  soldiers  to  keep  order  in 
the  crowded  city,  and  lived  in  the  finest  palace  in  Jerusalem, 
built  by  King  Herod  on  the  top  of  Mount  Zion,  with  rich 
gardens  within  its  walls,  and  three  strong  towers  of  defence. 
He  was  a  haughty  man,  who  despised  the  Jews  and  all  their 
ways,  but  the  subtle  priests  understood  him,  for  he  hated 
clamour  and  noise,  and  feared  his  master,  the  Emperor 
Caesar.  Once  he  had  brought  the  standards  of  the  Roman 
soldiers  into  Jerusalem — silver  eagles  on  the  top  of  poles, 
and  would  not  take  them  away ;  but  the  Jews  had  sur- 
rounded his  house  at  Caesarea  in  thousands,  yelling  inces- 
santly for  six  days  and  six  nights,  till  at  last  he  had  to  yield  to 
them  and  take  the  standards  out  of  the  city.  At  another 
time  he  hung  up  golden  shields  on  the  walls  of  his  palace 
on  Mount  Zion,  with  the  Emperor  Caesar's  and  his  name  upon 
them,  and  would  not  remove  them  till  the  Jews  wrote  to  the 
Emperor  complaining,  and  Pilate  had  to  take  them  down. 
At  another  time  he  took  some  of  the  Temple  treasury  money 
to  build  a  water-course  into  the  city,  but  the  people,  stirred  up 
by  the  priests,  again  yelled  in  crowds  round  his  palace,  till  he 
had  to  put  the  Temple  money  back  again ;  so  that  the  cunning 
priests  knew  how  to  deal  with  Pilate. 

His  palace  in  Jerusalem  was  called  "The  Praetorium," 
which  means,  the  chief  place  for  soldiers.  King  Herod  had 
lavished  much  money  on  its  terraces,  with  carved  pillars  and 
arches,  and  on  its  floors  laid  with  different  coloured  marbles, 
while  the  roofs  of  the  large  halls  were  so  richly  gilded  as  to 


436   THE  JUDGMENT  HALL  AND  PAVEMENT. 

look  like  solid  gold.  Joined  to  it  was  the  Hall  of  Judgment, 
where  the  king  or  governor  heard  cases,  with  a  door  that  led 
out  to  a  raised  place  called  the  "  Pavement,"  on  account  of 
the  different  coloured  stones  with  which  it  was  paved,  where, 
under  a  shade  and  overlooking  the  great  city,  stood  a  white 
ivory  judgment-seat,  on  which  the  Governor  sat  to  hear  cases 
in  the  open  air ;  for  it  was  a  Roman  rule  that  justice  was  open 
to  everyone. 

The  morning  sun  was  kindling  with  early  splendour  on  the 
golden  roof  of  the  Temple,  when,  bound  and  surrounded  by 
guards,  Jesus  was  led  out  from  Caiaphas's  palace  gardens  up 
the  steep  and  winding  streets  of  the  upper  city  to  Pilate's 
palace  on  the  top  of  Mount  Zion.  Many  of  the  chief  priests 
and  Lawyers  of  the  great  council  went  with  the  guards  to 
accuse  Him  before  Pilate,  as  they  had  arranged.  And  also  in 
that  crowd  were  the  mother  of  Jesus  and  Martha  and  Mary  of 
Bethany,  and  other  women,  who  wept  and  cried  as  they  saw 
Him  coming  out  to  the  street  guarded  and  with  His  hands 
tied,  and  who  followed  weeping,  with  such  of  the  disciples  as 
were  not  afraid  to  come  into  the  city.  When  the  guards 
reached  the  grounds  round  Pilate's  palace,  they  went  in  by 
the  gateway,  and  a  message  was  sent  to  Pilate,  who  replied 
by  telling  them  to  bring  Jesus  into  the  judgment  hall,  and  the 
guards  did  so.  Now  Pilate  was  a  Roman  judge,  and  was 
answerable  to  the  Emperor  Caesar  that  no  one  should  be  put 
to  death  in  Jerusalem  without  open  inquiry,  and  sitting  down 
in  the  judge's  seat,  he  asked  the  usual  questions.  The  first 
was  that  t.ie  accusers  of  Jesus  should  come  forward  and  state 
their  accusation  against  Him,  that  he  might  consider  it.  But 
the  guards  replied  that  His  accusers,  the  priests,  would  not 
come  into  Pilate's  judgment  hall  during  the  Passover  Festival 
week,  lest  they  should  be  made  impure  and  unfit  for  the  great 
services  in  the  Temple.  They  thought  there  might  be  some 
leaven  left  in  Pilate's  palace,  and  that,  they  said,  would  defile 
them,  and  they  believed  they  were  keeping  themselves  pure 
and  clean  by  remaining  outside  in  the  open  air.  With  a 
frown,  Pilate  sent  word   to  the  priests  to  meet  him  at  the 


HE    IS    A    BLASPHEMER.  437 

Pavement.  And  the  priests  led  the  people  round  to  that  part 
of  the  palace,  ranging  themselves  so  as  to  be  near  Pilate  when 
he  came  out,  and  thither  the  guards  took  Jesus  also. 

After  a  little,  Pilate  came  out  by  the  door  from  the  palace, 
with  stern  face  and  short  black  hair,  and  wearing  a  white 
cloak,  embroidered  with  a  broad  purple  border;  and  he  sat 
down  on  his  white  ivory  chair  that  had  been  carried  out  and 
placed  upon  the  raised  Pavement,  while  Roman  soldiers  kept 
the  people  back  with  their  long  spears. 

"What  accusation  do  you  bring  against  this  Man?"  asked 
Pilate  bluntly  of  the  priests,  and  they  thought  he  seemed 
cross. 

"  If  He  were  not  an  evil-doer  we  should  not  have  delivered 
Him  up  to  thee,"  said  one  of  the  old  Lawyers  gravely.  "  Evil- 
doer !  priests  ! "  thought  Pilate ;  and,  guessing  that  it  was 
some  religious  dispute  arising  out  of  the  Passover  Festival, 
which  he  cared  nothing  about,  and  would  never  understand, 
and  that  probably  all  they  wanted  was  power  to  give  Jesus 
some  sharp  punishment,  he  said — 

"  Take  Him  away,  and  judge  Him  by  your  own  law."  And 
Pilate  was  about  to  rise  and  go  into  the  palace  again,  when  he 
was  stopped  by  the  reply  from  one  of  the  councillors — 

"  It  is  not  lawful,"  he  said,  "  for  us  to  put  any  one  to 
death." 

"  Death  ! "  thought  Pilate  ;  "  this  is  a  more  serious  matter." 
And  he  sat  and  Ustened  while  the  priests  began  to  accuse 
Jesus  of  many  things. 

"  He  is  a  blasphemer,"  they  said.  But  Pilate  smiled  grimly. 
He  thought  nothing  of  that,  and  they  went  on  to  say — "  We 
have  found  Him  taking  away  the  obedience  of  our  nation 
from  Rome,  and  telling  the  people  not  to  pay  tribute-money 
to  the  Emperor  Caesar,  and  saying  that  He  Himself  is  the 
Christ,  a  King."  Now  Pilate  already  knew  all  about  Jesus 
and  the  crowds  that  followed  Him,  and  how  much  was  false 
of  what  the  priests  now  said.  He  may  even  have  seen  Jesus 
at  the  Lake-side  on  his  way  to  the  fashionable  town  of  Caesarea- 
Philippi  near  Hermon.     He   knew  that  Jesus   spoke  openly 


438  ART    THOU    A    KING? 

against  the  priests,  and  that  the  Pharisees  hated  Him.  He 
knew  that  only  a  week  ago  He  had  offended  the  priests  and 
the  rulers  by  ordering  all  the  traders  out  of  the  Temple.  He 
had  heard,  also,  that  Jesus  could  do  wonders,  and  was  a  good 
man ;  and  his  wife,  too,  had  sometimes  spoken  about  Him. 
Most  important  of  all,  he  had  made  inquiry  for  himself  among 
the  people,  as  was  his  duty,  and  was  satisfied  that  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  was  not  plotting  against  the  Roman  power. 

Rising  in  silence  from  his  seat,  Pilate  went  into  the  judg- 
ment hall,  and  ordered  a  Roman  soldier  to  bring  Jesus  to 
him.  With  His  hands  free,  now  that  He  was  in  Roman 
custody,  pale  and  haggard  with  the  cruelties  of  the  night.  His 
soiled  white  tunic  in  sad  contrast  to  the  magnificent  hall 
of  marble  and  gold,  the  pride  of  Jewish  kings,  but  with  a  calm 
look  in  His  face  that  won  the  respect  of  Pilate,  Jesus  stood 
before  him,  a  sad,  a  touching  sight. 

"Art  Thou  the  King  of  the  Jews?  "  Pilate  asked  when  they 
were  alone,  with  a  slight  touch  of  scorn  as  he  looked  at  Jesus 
in  His  simple  peasant's  dress. 

"Dost  thou  ask  this  thyself;  or  did  others  tell  it  thee  of 
Me?"  Jesus  replied,  looking  calmly  at  Pilate. 

"Am  I  Sijew?^^  exclaimed  Pilate,  scornfully,  meaning  that 
personally  he  took  no  interest  in  the  matter ;  adding,  "  Thy 
own  people  and  the  chiefs  of  the  priests  have  dehvered  Thee 
up  to  me  to  be  punished.  What  hast  Thou  done?"  Evi- 
dently Pilate  did  not  believe  what  the  priests  had  told  him  at 
the  Paven.  .mt  outside. 

"  My  Kingdom,"  said  Jesus  wearily,  "  is  not  of  this  world. 
If  it  were  of  this  world,  then  My  followers  would  fight  for  Me 
that  I  should  not  be  dehvered  up  to  the  Judaeans.  But  My 
Kingdom  is  not  of  this  World."  Thus  Jesus  spoke  in  weari- 
ness and  sorrow  of  that  Kingdom  of  Heaven  among  men, 
of  which  He  had  spoken  so  often  to  the  people.  Pilate 
thought  He  was  a  religious  enthusiast — a  dreamer — and 
asked  out  of  curiosity — 

"Art  Thou,  then,  a  King?" 

"Thou   sayest    rightly,"  Jesus    replied,  "because   I  am  a 


WHAT    IS    TRUTH?  439 

King.  I  came  into  the  world  and  was  born  to  be  a  Witness 
to  the  Truth,  and  every  one  that  is  of  the  Truth,  Usteneth 
to  Me." 

During  this  answer  of  Jesus,  Pilate  looked  keenly  at  Him 
with  brows  knit.  Jesus  seemed  to  him  to  be  a  very  remark- 
able but  a  harmless  Person  who  did  no  wrong,  claiming  only 
to  be  the  King  of  Truth-seekers.  "  Truth  !  "  thought  Pilate, 
"  He  little  knows  of  the  great  men  of  Rome  who  have  tried, 
and  have  failed  to  fix  the  meaning  of  that  little  word." 

"  What  is  truth?"  he  said  to  Jesus  as  he  rose  and  left  Him, 
to  go  out  again  to  the  people  at  the  Pavement.  There  was 
silence  when  Pilate  came  out  and  sat  down  on  his  ivory 
seat. 

"  I  find  no  fault  in  this  Man,"  he  said  in  a  loud  voice  to  the 
priests.  "  I  find  no  crime  in  Him."  But  before  he  could  say 
more,  a  clamour  of  tongues  arose  of  Priests,  Lawyers,  Temple 
Traders,  followers,  crying  out  against  what  Pilate  had  said. 
When  the  noise  grew  less,  some  one  shouted  to  him — 

"  He  stirreth  up  the  people,  teaching  through  all  Judaea, 
from  Galilee  to  Jerusalem."  Pilate  kept  a  grim  silence  till 
they  were  done  shouting,  and  then  asked,  with  a  quick  glance 
at  the  priests — 

"  Is  He  from  Galilee  ?  "  And  when  they  answered  "  Yes," 
he  quietly  made  up  his  mind  what  he  would  do.  He  would 
rid  himself  at  once  of  this  mob  and  of  Jesus,  by  sending  Him  to 
Antipas,  King  of  Galilee,  who  was  then  in  Jerusalem,  for  him 
to  try  the  case.  Now  King  Antipas  hated  Pilate,  and  they  had 
quarrelled,  but  Pilate  thought  that  by  thus  giving  him  power 
to  try  one  of  his  own  people  in  Jerusalem,  he  would  please 
the  King,  and  make  him  his  friend  again.  And  amid  the 
grumblings  of  the  priests,  Pilate  told  them  firmly  that  he 
would  send  Jesus  to  King  Antipas,  to  be  tried  by  him,  and  that 
they  must  go  thither.  And  he  retired  into  his  splendid 
palace  again. 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  learn  from  this  not  to  avoid  thy 
duty,  for  it  was  Pilate's  duty  to  make  inquiry  and  see  justice 
done,  and  help  the  innocent;  and  it   showed  a  weak  and 


440  MOCKED    BY    KING    ANTIPAS. 

bad  mind,  when,  believing  Jesus  to  be  innocent,  he  sent  Him 
away  to  another  judge,  just  as  a  compUment,  and  to  save 
himself  trouble. 


MOCKED    BY    KING    ANTIPAS. 

JERUSALEM,    FRIDAY,   APRIL,   A.D.    34. 

Once  more  a  guard  of  soldiers  was  formed  round  Jesus, 
this  time  armed  with  brass  helmets,  short  swords  and  spears, 
that  glittered  and  flashed  in  the  morning  sunlight,  for  they  were 
Roman  soldiers  who  took  Him  from  Pilate  to  King  Antipas. 
And  again  the  weeping  women  saw  Jesus,  coming  out  of  the 
gate  of  Pilate's  palace  gardens,  but  noticed  that  His  hands  were 
free.  They  followed  Him  to  the  old  palace  of  the  Maccabaeans, 
which  was  not  far  away,  also  on  Zion  hill,  and  there  they  saw 
Him  taken  into  the  courtyard,  and  the  priests,  His  accusers, 
this  time  went  in  also,  for  it  was  the  palace  of  a  Jew.  King 
Antipas  had  come  up  to  the  Festival,  and  lived  in  this  old 
palace  when  in  Jerusalem.  When  Pilate's  message  was  given 
to  him  he  was  pleased  that  he  had  given  him  power  to  judge  one 
of  his  own  people,  and  he  was  specially  pleased  that  the  Pri- 
soner was  Jesus,  for  he  had  long  wished  to  see  Him,  and 
expected  He  would  work  some  wonder  before  him.  When 
in  Galilee,  he  had  sent  word  for  Jesus  to  come  to  him,  but 
Jesus  had  refused.  This  was  also  the  king  whom  Jesus  had 
called  a  fox,  the  wretch  who  had  ordered  John  the  Baptist  to 
be  killed  Jo  please  a  dancing-girl — surely  not  the  man  to  sit 
in  judgment  upon  Jesus  ! 

King  Antipas,  in  a  richly  embroidered  robe,  sat  with  his 
chief  men  round  him,  while  Jesus,  pale  and  wearied,  was 
brought  in  to  be  tried — tried  for  the  fourth  time  in  six  hours. 
The  king  was  surprised  at  His  appearance,  and  gazed  at 
Jesus  'with  wonder  and  satisfaction,  as  he  explained  that 
Pilate  had  sent  Him  to  be  tried  by  him  as  king  of  Galilee, 
with  full  powers.  He  then  asked  the  priests  what  they  had 
to  say  against  Jesus,  and  they  replied  by  accusing  Him  of 
breaking  the  laws   of  their  religion  and  of  the  Temple,   of 


AN    OLD    PURPLE    ROBE.  44I 

Stirring  up  the  people  against  the  Romans,  and  of  everything 
else  they  could  think  of  that  would  influence  King  Antipas, 
adding  that  their  great  council  had  found  Jesus  guilty  of 
blasphemy.  They  hoped  to  get  the  king  to  sanction  His 
death  at  once. 

But  King  Antipas  was  struck  with  the  silence  of  Jesus. 
He  had  never  seen  a  prisoner  who  did  not  deny  what 
his  accusers  said.  Stopping  the  priests,  he  asked  Jesus  a 
question  about  what  they  were  saying  against  Him,  and 
waited  for  an  answer.  But  Jesus  remained  silent.  The 
king  spoke  to  Him  again  and  again,  asking  Him  many 
questions,  but  Jesus  would  answer  nothing.  Then  the  king 
flew  into  a  passion  of  anger,  and  began  to  threaten  Jesus  with 
punishment,  and  to  call  Him  names  and  mock  Him,  while 
the  priests  clamoured  for  him  to  sentence  Jesus  to  death. 
But  King  Antipas  saw  that  he  could  do  nothing  in  such 
a  case,  and  resolved  to  treat  the  whole  thing  as  one  of 
Pilate's  practical  jokes.  Pilate  had  sent  him  a  man  to  try, 
who  would  not  speak.  He  had  heard  Jesus  called  a  "  King," 
and  that  He  had  spoken  of  His  Kingdom  of  Heaven  among 
men,  and  he  would  send  Him  back  to  Pilate  dressed  up  as  a 
King,  with  no  other  message  than  that  of  mockery.  He 
ordered  his  servants  to  bring  one  of  his  old  purple  robes 
and  put  it  on  Jesus,  and  they  did  so. .  And  when  he  saw 
Jesus  standing  silent  and  weary,  dressed  in  his  cast-off  finery, 
the  king  bowed  low  to  Him,  as  though  Jesus  were  a  world's 
king,  and  laughed  and  spoke  mockingly  to  Him,  and  then, 
ordering  Him  to  be  taken  away  back  to  Pilate,  the  king  left 
the  room. 

Then  the  soldiers,  imitating  King  Antipas,  mocked  Jesus 
also,  pretending  that  He  was  a  king,  laughing  at  His 
sad  wearied  face,  as  He  stood  dressed  in  their  master's 
old  robe.  And  the  priests  felt  that  they  had  triumphed 
before  King  Antipas.  And  His  friends  in  the  crowd  that 
stood  at  the  gate  saw  Jesus  coming  out  again  from  the 
palace  of  King  Antipas,  dressed  in  the  purple  robe  of  a 
mock  king,  to  walk  through  the  street  back  again  to  Pilate's 


442  PILATE    FINDS    NO    FAULT. 

palace.  The  faded  robe  was  intended  to  be  a  humorous 
message  from  King  Antipas,  and  when  Pilate  saw  Jesus  so 
dressed,  he  thought  he  understood  the  king's  joke,  particu- 
larly when  he  was  told  that  Jesus  would  not  answer  a  single 
question  that  was  asked  Him,  and  Pilate  and  King  Antipas 
after  that  became  very  good  friends. 

Do  thou,  my  child,  learn  from  this  never  to  make  sport  of 
another's  suffering.  Jesus  had  spoken  of  His  Kingdom  of 
Heaven  among  men,  and  a  paltry  worldling  thought  it  clever 
to  make  Him  walk  through  the  streets  wearing  a  king's  old 
robe.  And  thus,  with  a  heart  that  could  see  nothing  better 
than  fine  dressing  and  feasting  and  sport.  King  Antipas 
ridiculed  a  Sufferer  whose  greatness  he  could  not  comprehend. 

PILATE    FINDS    NO    FAULT. 

JERUSALEM,    FRIDAY,    APRIL,   A.D.    34. 

On  His  return  from  King  Antipas,  and  while  it  was  still 
early  morning,  Jesus  was  taken  into  Pilate's  palace  on  Zion 
hill,  that  he  might  see  Him  with  the  king's  old  robe  on. 
But  the  chief  priests  would  not  go  in,  and  went  round  to 
the  Pavement  as  before,  to  wait  for  Pilate  to  come  out  to 
them.  Pilate  now  saw  that  he  could  not  get  rid  of  this 
troublesome  affair,  and  must  hear  all  that  the  priests  and 
councillors  had  to  say  against  Jesus,  and  decide  what  was 
to  be  done  with  Him.  In  a  short  time  he  came  out  again 
by  the  door  on  to  the  Pavement,  looking  in  rather  better 
temper,  foJowed  by  Jesus,  no  longer  wearing  the  purple  robe, 
and  in  charge  of  a  Roman  soldier,  who  stood  a  little  way  off. 
Sitting  down  on  the  white  judgm.ent-seat,  Pilate  began  to  ask 
Jesus  questions  before  the  people,  in  the  usual  way  when 
trying  any  matter. 

"Art  Thou  the  King  of  the  Jews?"  he  asked  in  a  loud 
voice,  expecting  Jesus  again  to  speak  of  His  Kingdom  of 
Truth. 

"Thou  sayest  it,"  Jesus  answered.  When  the  priests 
understood   that   the   answer   of  Jesus   meant   "  Yes,"   they 


ANSWEREST    THOU    NOTHING?  443 

began  to  shout  against  Him,  as  they  had  done  before  King 
Antipas,  accusing  Him  of  everything  they  could  think  of  that 
would  influence  Pilate.  When  they  stopped,  Pilate  looked  to 
Jesus  to  answer  them,  as  was  the  custom,  but  He  remained 
silent,  and  Pilate  wondered. 

*'  nearest  Thou  how  many  things  they  say  against  Thee?" 
Pilate  asked  grimly.  "Answerest  Thou  nothing?"  He 
knew  that  the  priests  were  telling  lies.  But  Jesus  would  not 
speak,  and  as  Pilate  looked  at  His  beautiful,  pale  face,  he 
was  astonished  and  could  not  understand  it.  Jesus  was  inno- 
cent, and  yet  He  would  not  speak  !  What  should  he  do  ? 
These  priests  would  not  be  satisfied  without  some  punishment. 
He  would  scourge  Jesus  to  please  His  enemies,  and  then  set 
Him  free.  Rising  from  his  seat  and  speaking  to  the  chief 
priests,  he  gave  them  his  decision  as  a  Roman  Judge. 

"  You  have  brought  this  Man  to  me,"  he  said,  "  saying  that 
He  is  one  who  stirreth  up  the  people  against  the  Roman 
power.  I  have  examined  Him  before  you  and  I  find  no  fault 
in  Him  regarding  the  things  of  which  you  accuse  Him. 
Neither  did  King  Antipas  find  any  fault,  for  he  hath  sent  Him 
back  to  me.  He  hath  done  nothirig  deserving  death.  I  will 
therefore  scourge  Him  and  set  Him  free^  These  last  words 
were  received  by  the  Priests,  Lawyers,  and  Temple  Traders 
with  shouts  of  disappointment  and  rage,  and  Pilate,  who 
should  have  left  the  Pavement  at  once,  remained  standing  and 
irresolute.  But  other  shouts  were  heard  coming  from  the 
common  people  which  attracted  notice,  and  soon  there  were 
many  voices  calling  for  the  Governor,  as  usual,  to  set  free  a 
prisoner  whom  they  would  name.  Pilate,  thinking  that  this 
cry  had  been  got  up  by  friends  of  Jesus,  made  a  sign  for 
silence,  and  turning  to  the  common  people,  he  said — 

"  You  have  a  custom  that  I  should  set  free  a  prisoner  to 
you  at  the  Passover  Festival.  Whom  do  you  wish?  Do  you 
wish  me  to  set  free  the  King  of  the  Jews  " — for  he  knew  that 
it  was  only  the  priests  who  through  envy  and  hatred  had 
brought  Jesus  to  him  that  morning — "  or  do  you  wish  Barab- 
bas?  "     Now,  Barabbas  was  a  violent,  bad  man,  who  had  got 


444  WHAT    EVIL    HATH    HE    DONE? 

up  a  rising  of  the  people  against  the  Romans,  that  ended  in 
murder  and  robbery,  and  had  been  put  into  prison. 

But  a  messenger  came  out  quickly  by  the  door  to  the  Pave- 
ment, who  wished  to  speak  with  Pilate  as  he  sat  there,  and 
while  he  was  speaking,  the  priests  told  their  guards  and  ser- 
vants to  get  the  people,  when  the  right  time  came,  to  shout 
for  Barabbas  to  be  set  free.  The  message  was  from  Claudia 
Procula,  Pilate's  wife.  She  knew  about  Jesus,  and  had  heard 
of  the  guard  going  the  night  before  to  take  Him  prisoner. 
The  shouts  of  the  people  round  the  Pavement  had  come  up  to 
the  palace  windows,  and  on  being  told  what  was  going  on 
below,  she  sent  this  message  to  her  husband — 

"  Have  nothing  to  do  with  this  good  Man,  for  I  have 
suffered  much  this  day  in  a  dream  because  of  Him."  Pilate's 
face  grew  troubled  as  he  Ustened  to  this  warning,  pressing 
message  from  his  wife,  for,  like  her,  he  had  a  half  belief  in 
dreams.  If  only  to  please  her,  he  would  set  Jesus  free,  and  he 
turned  to  the  crowd  again. 

"Which  of  the  two  do  you  wish  me  to  set  free  to  you?  "  he 
asked  the  people,  for  they  seemed  to  have  agreed  upon  some 
one. 

"  Barabbas  !  "  answered  a  voice. 

"What,  then,  shall  I  do  with  Jesus,  who  is  called  the 
Christ?"  Pilate  foolishly  asked,  to  which  some  one  replied — 

"  Away  with  Him,  and  set  free  Barabbas  !  "  Others  cried, 
"  Not  this  Man,  but  Barabbas ; "  and  a  priest  hissed  through 
his  teeth,  "  Crucify  Him !  "  Pilate  was  astonished  at  this 
fresh  demc^hd,  and  began  to  argue  with  the  crowd,  which  was 
now  large. 

"  What  then  shall  I  do  with  Jesus  the  King  of  the  Jews?  " 

"  Crucify  Him  !  Crucify  Him  ! "  the  crowd  repHed,  taking 
up  the  priest's  cry.  Now  this  was  most  revolting  to  Pilate's 
Roman,  sense  of  justice.  There  was  no  logic  or  fairness  in 
this  brawling  crowd,  and  rising  to  his  feet  he  continued  to  argue 
excitedly  with  them. 

"Why,"  he  shouted  in  a  loud  voice  that  was  heard  above 
the  noise,  "  what  evil  hath  He  done  ?     I  have  found  nothing 


CRUCIFY    HIM.  445 

in  Him  deserving  death.     /  will  scourge  Him  and  set  Him 

free.''  But  the  judge  who  argues  after  pronouncing  sentence, 
is  lost.  The  Priests  and  the  Temple  Traders  knew  a  better 
way  to  overcome  Pilate  than  arguments.  They  continued  to 
shout  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  and  stirred  up  the  people  to 
shout  also — 

"  Crucify  Him  !  Crucify  Him  !  "  and  nothing  but,  "  Crucify 
Him  ! "  as  loud  as  they  could.  And  Pilate,  looking  anxiously 
down,  saw  a  crowd  of  angry  faces,  and  men  with  waving 
threatening  arms,  growing  every  moment  fiercer,  as  they 
pressed  against  the  pikes  of  the  Roman  soldiers,  that  kept 
them  back,  lest  they  should  clutch  at  the  robe  of  Jesus  and 
drag  Him  off  the  Pavement.  Jesus,  too,  looked  down, 
but  with  no  trace  of  fear  in  His  face ;  although  they 
did  not  cease  to  shout  fiercely  "  Crucify  Him  !  Crucify 
Him  ! "  as  long  as  Pilate  stood  trying  to  speak  to  them. 
Should  he  order  his  soldiers  to  drive  this  wild  mob  out  of  his 
sight  at  the  point  of  their  long  spears,  Pilate  thought  ?  That 
would  mean  bloodshed,  and  would  be  reported  to  the  Em- 
peror Caesar  at  Rome.  Was  one  Man's  life  worth  all  this 
trouble  ?  Pilate  wavered  and  sat  down  ;  again  the  clamour  of 
the  people  of  Jerusalem  had  conquered  him. 

But  there  was  still  his  wife.  Her  dream  might  be  a  message 
from  their  gods.  He  resolved  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  the 
death  of  Jesus,  and  this  is  how  he  thought  to  clear  himself. 
He  ordered  a  basin  of  pure  water  to  be  brought  out  to  him  on 
the  Pavement,  and  while  a  kneeling  slave  held  it  up,  with 
much  show  he  washed  every  bit  of  his  large  white  hands 
before  the  people,  who  looked  on  in  silence ;  and  having 
wiped  them  dry  with  a  towel,  he  said  in  a  loud  voice,  pointing 
to  Jesus,  and  holding  up  his  clean  hands — 

"  I  am  innocent  of  the  death  of  this  good  Man.  See  you 
to  it !  " 

"  His  death  be  on  us,  and  on  our  children,"  the  crowd 
replied  defiantly.  Then  Pilate  ordered  his  officer  to  set  free 
Barabbas,  and  to  scourge  and  crucify  Jesus  ;  and  with  a  scowl- 
ing face  and  mind  full  of  anger  and  great  doubt,  he  rose  from 


446  THE    CROWN    OF    THORNS. 

his  ivory  seat  and  went  into  the  palace.  The  yells  of  the 
people  had  conquered  him  once  more.  And  the  priests  and 
their  followers  shouted  wildly  as  they  saw  Jesus  taken  away 
by  the  Roman  soldiers,  and  again  they  shouted  when  Barabbas 
was  brought  out  and  set  free. 

And  thou  wilt  learn  from  this  how  dangerous  and  foolish 
it  is  to  deceive  thyself.  Pilate  thought  that  with  a  few  pints 
of  water  he  could  wash  away  the  guilt  of  what  he  was  doing ; 
but  he  was  only  trying  to  deceive  himself.  He  knew  that 
it  was  his  duty  to  do  justly,  and  not  to  yield ;  and  soon  he 
felt  the  folly  of  this  hand- washing  show,  for  it  gave  him  no 
peace  of  mind. 

THE    CROWN    OF    THORNS. 

JERUSALEM,    FRIDAY,   APRIL,   A.D.    34. 

The  women  of  Bethany  were  there  that  morning,  watching 
what  went  on  at  the  Pavement  where  Pilate  pretended  to  be 
trying  Jesus.  Hope  rose  in  their  breasts  when  they  heard 
him  say  that  he  would  scourge  Jesus  and  let  Him  go,  but 
when  he  changed  his  mind,  and  they  saw  Jesus  calm  and 
pale,  led  away  from  their  sight  through  the  door  into  the 
judgment  hall,  to  be  scourged,  perhaps  killed  !  they  could 
only  weep  and  gaze  in  speechless  horror  at  the  cruelty  of  the 
men  who  were  round  Him.  For,  what  had  He  done,  but 
bless  their  children,  heal  their  sick,  and  blame  their  wicked 
Teachers  ? 

It  was  ^e  Roman  law  that  every  one  who  was  to  be  cruci- 
fied should  first  be  scourged.  The  prisoner,  stripped  to  the 
waist,  was  tied  to  a  post  in  a  stooping  position  while  a  soldier 
scourged  him,  striking  where  he  pleased,  on  head  or  body, 
with  such  force  that  many  fainted  and  some  died  under  the 
scourging.  The  scourge  was  made  of  strips  of  leather  tipped 
with  bits  of  lead  or  ragged  bone.  It  was  usual  for  the  judge 
who  had  condemned  the  prisoner,  to  see  the  scourging  done, 
so  that  Pilate  would  be  there  while  Jesus  was  tied  to  a  post  in 
the  open  palace-yard  and  a  soldier  scourged  Him  with  cruel 


HAIL  king!  447 

thongs  until  the  red  blood  trickled  to  the  ground.  But  Jesus 
bore  the  bitter  pain  in  silence. 

To  the  Roman  soldiers,  a  man  condemned  to  die,  and  par- 
ticularly a  Jew,  was  an  object  for  ridicule  and  brutality.  They 
thought  it  mattered  little  what  was  done  to  one  whose  life  was 
to  be  taken  away.  There  were  five  hundred  Roman  soldiers 
about  Pilate's  palace — mostly  Syrians  who  had  joined  the 
Roman  service.  Some  of  them  had  seen  Jesus  dressed  in 
King  Antipas's  old  robes,  and  had  laughed  at  Him ;  and  they 
resolved  to  have  the  play  over  again ;  and  all  the  soldiers 
gathered  together  in  one  of  the  halls  of  the  Praetorium  to 
have  more  soldiers'  sport.  His  clothes  were  not  given  back 
to  Jesus  after  He  was  scourged,  but  a  Roman  soldier's  short 
scarlet  cloak  was  thrown  over  His  bleeding  shoulders.  Faint- 
ing with  pain  and  exhaustion.  He  was  led  to  a  raised  place 
and  made  to  sit  down  in  sight  of  all  the  men.  Jesus  had 
called  Himself  a  King  !  of  a  Kingdom  that  could  not  be 
seen  !  There  He  sat  with  a  scarlet  robe  on.  But  He  had 
no  crown  !  And  a  soldier,  cutting  some  long  twigs  from  a 
jagged  thorn  that  grew  among  the  shrubs  in  the  palace 
garden,  taking  care  not  to  prick  his  fingers  as  he  did  so, 
twined  the  thorns  into  a  round  wreath  large  enough  for  a 
man's  head.  With  much  mock  ceremony  he  came  forward  to 
Jesus  and  placed  it  with  its  sharp  thorns  upon  His  drooping 
head,  amid  the  laughter  of  the  other  soldiers,  who  praised  his 
cleverness,  in  thus  crowning  the  King.  But  Jesus  had  no 
sceptre  !  And  another  soldier  cut  a  tall  reed  from  a  pond  in 
the  garden,  and  going  up  to  Him  put  it  into  His  open  hand. 
Thus  Jesus  was  dressed  for  the  play.  And,  one  after  another, 
the  soldiers  came  up  before  Him  with  grave  faces,  and  kneel- 
ing on  one  knee,  said  in  mock  reverence — 

"  Hail,  King  of  the  Jews  !  "  and  as  each  one  rose  and  went 
away,  the  others  laughed  loudly,  enjoying  this  ridicule  of  the 
bare  idea  of  the  Jews  ever  having  a  king,  while  Jesus  sat  there 
in  silence,  leaning  for  support,  very  sick,  very  faint  and  grieved, 
dimly  seeing  the  men  in  that  splendid  hall  as  they  came  and 
went  before  Him  like  a  strange,  wild  dream,  and  wishing  it 


44^  BEHOLD    THE    MAN  ! 

would  soon  be  all  over.  But  again  His  silence  irritated  the 
soldiers,  and  first  one  and  then  another  gave  Him  a  blow  with 
his  hand  as  he  rose  from  before  Him.  Others  spat  in  His  face 
after  kneeling  to  Him.  But  most  of  them  took  the  reed  from 
His  faint  hand,  and  hit  Him  over  the  head  with  it,  for  they 
liked  to  see  Jesus  wince  with  silent  pain  as  the  thorns  of  the 
crown  pierced  His  brow.  And  there,  amid  the  blows,  laughter, 
revelry,  and  devilry  of  these  armed  men-slayers,  Jesus — the 
Friend  of  little  children — sat,  pale,  bleeding,  suffering,  while, 
within  hearing,  the  Roman  carpenters  hewed  and  hammered 
at  the  rough  wooden  cross  on  which  He  was  to  be  nailed. 

But  Pilate's  mind  was  ill  at  ease.  It  had  changed  again, 
although  his  hands  were  washed  clean.  Coming  into  the 
soldiers'  hall,  he  saw  Jesus,  the  Innocent,  sitting  there,  blood- 
stained and  fainting,  looking  such  a  picture  of  pathetic  sad- 
ness, with  His  scarlet  robe.  His  crown.  His  sceptre,  while  the 
soldiers  called  Him  King,  that  Pilate  thought  if  the  crowd 
outside  could  only  see  Him  now,  they  would  cry  out  that  He 
had  been  punished  enough.  Ordering  the  soldiers  to  stop 
their  play,  and  bring  Jesus  after  him,  he  walked  into  the  judg- 
ment hall,  and  out  again  to  the  Pavement  and  the  priests,  who 
were  waiting  to  see  Jesus  killed. 

"  See,"  said  Pilate,  "  I  have  brought  Him  out  to  you,  that 
you  may  know  that  1  find  no  fault  in  Him,"  and  he  pointed 
to  Jesus,  who  was  brought  forward  between  two  soldiers,  faint 
and  stooping,  with  the  crown  of  thorns  and  the  scarlet  robe 
still  on.  "  Look  at  the  Man  !  "  Pilate  said,  that  all  might  see 
what  a  Roman  scourging  had  done  to  the  strong  young 
Galilean.  The  people  were  silent,  but  the  priests  and  their 
servants  raised  the  old  cry — 

"  Crucify  Him  !  crucify  Him  ! "  they  shouted,  and  Pilate 
again  grew  weak  before  such  fierce  blood-thirstiness. 

"Take  Him  yourselves,"  he  said,  "and  crucify  Him,  for  I 
find  no  fault  in  Him."  But  the  priests  dared  not  do  that. 
They  had  no  power,  and  they  replied — 

"  We  have  a  law  against  blasphemy,  and  by  that  law  He 
ought  to  die,  because  He  calleth  Himself  the  Son  of  God^ 


NOT  Cesar's  friend.  449 

When  Pilate  heard  this,  he  wished  more  than  ever  to  have 
nothing  to  do  wit^  the  death  of  Jesus,  for  he  had  heard  of  the 
sons  of  gods  coming  to  the  world,  and  he  remembered  his 
wife's  dream.  Rising  from  his  ivory  seat,  he  beckoned  to 
the  soldiers  to  bring  Jesus  after  him  into  the  judgment  hall 
again. 

"  Where  dost  Thou  come  from  ?  "  he  asked  Jesus  anxiously, 
as  soon  as  they  were  alone  inside.  But  Jesus  remained 
silent. 

"Why  dost  Thou  not  answer  me?"  Pilate  demanded, 
adding  in  a  threatening  tone,  "  Knowest  Thou  not  that  I 
have  power  to  set  Thee  free  or  to  crucify  Thee?  " 

"Thou  wouldst  have  no  power  against  Me,"  answered 
Jesus  wearily,  "unless  it  were  given  thee  from  above.  The 
men  that  have  given  Me  up  to  thee  have  done  the  greater 
wickedness."  Pilate  was  so  much  impressed  with  the  look 
and  words  of  Jesus,  that  once  more  his  mind  altered,  and  he 
firmly  resolved  to  set  Him  free.  Going  out  to  the  Pavement 
again,  he  told  the  priests  that  he  had  resolved  to  set  Jesus  at 
hberty.  But  the  priests  knew  their  power,  and  hinted  that  if 
Pilate  did  this,  they  would  bring  the  matter  before  his  master, 
the  Emperor  Caesar,  at  Rome. 

"  If  thou  settest  this  man  free,"  they  said,  "  thou  art  not 
Caesar's  friend  ;  for  whoever  saith  that  He  is  a  Ring,  is  against 
Caesar."  Pilate  wavered  yet  again,  as  he  recollected  that 
Caesar  had  already  suspected  his  honesty,  and  might  punish 
him  if  the  Jews  complained  against  him.  But  to  call  Jesus 
a  "  King "  was,  he  thought,  absurd,  and  ordering  Jesus  to 
be  brought  out,  he  pointed  to  Him  as  He  stood,  soiled, 
suffering,  weak,  saying  with  grim  irony — 

"  Look  at  your  King  !  " 

"  Away  with  Him  !  Away  with  Him  !  Crucify  Him  ! " 
yelled  the  priests  and  the  people. 

"Shall  I  QiMoSiy  your  Khig?^^  shouted  Pilate  above  their 
voices. 

"We  have  no  King  but  Caesar,"  replied  the  priests,  as 
though   fighting   for  the   Roman   Emperor   against   his   own 


450  DAUGHTERS    OF   JERUSALEM. 

Governor.  Then  Pilate  finally  gave  up  the  struggle.  He 
was  no  match  for  these  crafty  Jews.  He  had  tried  to  put 
right  the  blunder  he  had  made  in  ever  condemning  the  inno- 
cent Jesus,  but  they  had  caught  him  in  his  own  net.  Jesus 
must  die.  And  reluctantly  he  gave  orders  to  his  soldiers  to 
carry  out  the  terrible  sentence  of  crucifixion.  "  After  all," 
he  thought,  *'  it  is  the  priests  who  are  putting  Him  to  death. 
I  am  only  consenting."  But  he  dared  not  look  at  the  face  of 
Jesus,  as  with  eyes  bent  upon  the  ground  he  left  the  Pavement 
for  the  last  time  and  went  into  the  splendid  palace,  to  the 
silence  of  his  own  thoughts 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  remember  the  awfulness  of  giving 
way  to  cruelty,  for  men  who  do  so  know  not  when  to  stop. 
Some  people  have  rejoiced  to  see  men  slaying  each  other  in 
an  amphitheatre ;  others  have  made  torches  of  living  people 
tied  to  poles ;  some  love  to  see  bulls  killing  horses ;  others 
are  against  such  things,  but  like  for  sport  to  shoot  the  timid 
deer  upon  the  heathery  moor, — but  there  is  cruelty  in  it  all. 


DAUGHTERS    OF    JERUSALEM! 

JERUSALEM,   FRmAY,   APRIL,  A.D.   34. 

Condemned  to  be  crucified  !  Jesus  was  taken  away  by  the 
soldiers  back  to  the  yard  of  Pilate's  palace,  where  His  mock 
King's  robe  of  scarlet  and  His  crown  of  thorns  were  put 
away,  and  His  own  clothes  given  to  Him.  A  Centurion  of 
the  Roman  soldiers  was  ordered  to  carry  out  the  crucifixion, 
and  soon  the  nails,  hammers,  spades,  ropes,  food  and  water 
for  the  soldiers,  and  the  terrible  cross  were  ready.  The  crosr 
was  made  of  a  rough  log  of  wood,  with  a  cross-bar  near  the 
top,  and  a  thick  wooden  pin  about  the  middle  of  it,  for  the 
sufferer. to  sit  astride  upon.  A  black  board  was  also  prepared 
to  hang  round  the  neck  of  Jesus,  or  to  be  carried  through  the 
streets  in  front  of  Him,  on  which  His  supposed  crime  was 
written  in  white  letters.  And  Pilate  told  the  officers  to  write 
this  on  it  in  three  languages — Latin,  Aramaic,  and  Greek. 


CARRYING    HIS    CROSS.  45 1 

"  This  is  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  King  of  the  Jews. ^^ 

When  all  was  ready,  the  soldiers,  with  brass  helmets  and 
spears  glittering  in  the  sunshine,  were  drawn  up  in  the  palace 
yard,  with  Jesus  in  their  midst,  specially  guarded  by  four  men, 
and  when  the  cross,  which  He  had  to  carry  Himself,  was  laid 
upon  the  shoulders  of  the  young  Carpenter, — He  who  had 
carried  many  a  load  of  wood, — it  bent  Him  down  till  the  end 
touched  the  ground.  Beside  Him  were  two  thieves,  miserable 
men,  going  to  be  crucified  with  Him,  and  who  also  had  to 
carry  their  terrible  crosses.  And  as  the  guard  marched  out 
into  the  sunny  street,  tears  leapt  afresh  to  the  eyes  of  the 
women,  when  they  saw  Jesus  with  a  heavy  cross  tied  upon  His 
shoulders  surrounded  with  soldiers,  and  trying  to  keep  up  with 
them,  and  their  cries  of  pity  reached  His  ears,  as  with  dizzy 
head  bent  down.  He  stumbled  on. 

Down  the  rough  stone-paved  streets  of  Zion  hill  they 
went,  past  palace  gates  and  splendid  houses,  followed  by  a 
crowd  of  people  attracted  by  the  sight,  while  on  the  raised 
footpaths  at  the  side  of  the  street,  walked  the  priests,  holding 
up  their  long  robes  from  defilement,  determined  to  see  Jesus 
die.  From  the  upper  city  of  palaces,  they  went  down  to  the 
lower  town  of  bazaars,  shops,  and  poorer  houses,  for  they 
were  going  out  to  the  common  place  of  execution  beyond 
the  walls,  out  by  the  gate  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  city 
from  the  Galilean  encampment  on  the  Mount  of  Olives. 
And  more  people  joined  the  crowd.  But  soon  it  was  seen 
that  Jesus  was  getting  too  weak  to  walk  much  further,  for  He 
was  going  slower  and  slower,  struggling  still  to  go  the  distance 
required,  and  the  soldiers  urged  Him  on,  until,  when  near 
the  Damascus  Gate,  He  sank  down  upon  the  street  under 
His  heavy  load.  Just  at  that  time,  Simon,  from  Cyrenia,  in 
Africa,  a  strong  man,  was  coming  in  at  the  city  gate,  and 
seeing  he  was  a  stranger,  the  soldiers  stopped  him  and  bade 
him  carry  the  cross  for  Jesus,  which  he  did,  partly  from 
pity. 

While  they  were  standing  there,  voices  in  the  crowd  began 
to  speak  against  the  cruel   treatment  of  Jesus,  and  loudest 


452  WEEP    NOT   FOR    ME. 

among  them  were  women  who  wept  and  lamented  at  the 
sight  of  His  blood-stained  face  and  tunic,  His  terrible  weak- 
ness and  sorrowful  state — so  young,  so  beautiful,  so  good, 
going  to  be  crucified  !  They  were  only  women,  but  they 
were  not  afraid,  as  the  men  seemed  to  be,  to  cry  out  against 
the  horrid  cruelty  of  the  priests,  and  all  the  way  from  Zion 
hill  they  had  filled  the  streets  with  their  wailing  cries.  That 
One  who  had  done  nothing  but  good  in  their  city  should  be 
killed  in  this  way,  was  a  shameful  thing  which  these  women 
would  cry  against  to  the  last,  and  above  the  shouts  of  the 
crowd,  and  the  urging  of  the  soldiers,  Jesus  heard  the  women's 
voices,  and  their  cries  were  the  only  touch  of  pity  which  He 
received  in  that  long  terrible  walk.  Turning  towards  them 
His  pale  blood-stained  face,  with  a  look  of  sorrowful  tenderness 
in  His  eyes,  He  exclaimed — 

"  Daughters  of  Jerusalem  !  weep  not  for  Me,  but  weep  for 
yourselves  and  for  your  children.  For  the  time  is  coming 
when  they  will  say  that  the  women  are  blessed  who  have  no 
children.  And  they  will  cry  to  the  mountains  to  fall  on  them, 
and  to  the  hills  to  cover  them."  At  the  siege  of  Jerusalem, 
in  later  years,  the  Roman  soldiers  spared  neither  women  nor 
children.  And  when  the  women  heard  this  message  of  Jesus, 
they  broke  out  into  fresh  weeping  and  wailing,  and  followed 
Him  again,  when  the  crowd  started,  out  through  the  city  gate 
and  into  the  country. 

The  common  place  for  crucifixions  was  a  grassy  mound, 
called  Golgotha,  or  Calvary,  at  a  little  distance  from  the 
road  into  Jerusalem,  where  all  the  passers  by  might  see  the 
criminals  hanging,  and  take  warning.  Leaving  the  road,  the 
soldiers  went  over  to  this  spot.  Now  it  was  the  custom  for 
the  ladies  of  Jerusalem,  out  of  kindness  and  pity,  to  make  a 
drink  for  the  prisoners,  of  wine  and  something  hke  opium, 
which  made  the  poor  men  feel  dull  and  stupid,  and  which 
the  women  were  allowed  to  give  them  before  being  crucified, 
that  they  might  not  feel  the  terrible  pain  so  much.  This 
cup  was  offered  by  some  gentle  hand  to  Jesus,  and  He  took 
it,  but  when  He  tasted  it,  thirsty  and  weak  as  He  was,  He 


NAILED    UPON    THE    CROSS.  453 

would  not  drink.  He  wished  to  have  a  clear  mind  amid  all 
His  suffering,  and  did  not  fear  the  pain.  And  the  women 
pitied  Him  the  more,  as  they  withdrew  to  a  little  distance, 
and  stood  weeping  as  they  watched  the  dreadful  preparations 
of  the  soldiers. 

And  thou  wilt  not  forget  how  that  when  Jesus  was  deserted 
by  His  men  friends,  persecuted  by  the  priests,  howled  at  by 
the  crowds,  struck  and  mocked  by  soldiers,  given  up  by 
Pilate,  brave,  gentle  women  did  not  cease,  in  the  open  streets 
of  Jerusalem,  to  cry  shame  upon  work  which  their  hearts,  with 
unerring  truth,  told  them  was  wicked  and  unpardonable 
cruelty. 

NAILED    UPON    THE    CROSS. 

JERUSALEM,    FRmAY,   APRIL,   A.D.    34. 

It  was  between  nine  and  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  when 
Jesus  reached  the  place  of  crucifixion,  and  the  sun  was  hot  on 
Calvary.  A  ring  of  Roman  soldiers,  with  glittering  brass 
armour,  was  formed,  to  keep  the  people  back.  Within  that 
ring  lay  the  wooden  crosses  beside  the  prisoners,  while  with 
spades  the  soldiers  dug  three  deep  holes  in  the  earth  to  set 
them  in.  When  all  was  ready,  the  outer  garments  of  Jesus 
were  taken  from  Him,  and  He  was  laid  upon  His  back  on  the 
rough  wooden  cross,  with  His  arms  outstretched  along  the 
bar,  to  which  they  were  tied  with  ropes ;  cruel  nails  were 
driven  through  His  hands  and  His  feet,  nailing  them  firmly  to 
the  strong  wood,  and  then,  amid  the  cries  of  the  pitying 
women,  two  soldiers  on  each  side  of  the  cross  slowly  raised  it 
upright,  with  Jesus  on  it,  and  carrying  it  over,  dropped  the 
end  into  the  hole  in  the  ground  with  a  torturing  shock,  and 
held  it  there  while  the  earth  was  shovelled  and  packed  and 
trodden  firm  around  the  foot  of  the  cross  to  keep  it  standing. 

"  Father  !  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do," 
Jesus  groaned,  as  He  looked  at  the  hired  soldiers  at  work 
below  Him,  His  feet  being  only  a  few  inches  from  the 
ground. 


454  THUS    WAS    HE    CRUCIFIED. 

Thus  was  the  purest  Being  that  ever  lived  on  earth  crucified 
upon  the  bitter  cross  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  ;  the  torture  of 
His  pierced  hands  and  feet  being  intensified  by  the  weight  of 
His  body,  while  the  blood  dropped  slowly  from  them — the 
work  of  priests,  councillors,  and  hired  murderers.  Awful 
must  have  been  the  sight,  as  His  head  turned  from  one  side 
to  another,  in  mute  search  for  the  faces  of  His  friends  in  the 
hushed  crowd  which  stood  a  little  way  off — silent,  save  for  the 
wailing  of  the  women,  and  the  shouts  and  oaths  of  the 
soldiers.  They  did  not  kill  Him  at  once ;  but  nailed  Him 
there  to  die  slowly  of  thirst,  pain,  and  heartbreak.  Well  has 
it  been  written  of  this  scene,  by  a  loving  woman's  hand — 

"  We  may  not  know,  we  cannot  tell 
The  pains  He  had  to  bear, 
But  we  believe  it  was  for  us 
He  hung  and  suffered  there." 

And  by  England's  greatest  poet — 

"  Those  blessed  feet; 
Which,  fourteen  hundred  years  ago,  were  nail'd 
For  our  advantage,  on  the  bitter  cross." 

Over  His  head  was  put  the  black  board  with  these  words 
on  it —     - 

"This  is  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  King  of  the  Jews." 

It  was  ,§ual  for  the  four  soldiers  who  crucified  the  sufferer 
to  have  his  clothing  given  to  them,  and  sitting  down  on  the 
dry  grass  before  Jesus  the  soldiers  divided  His  clothes  amongst 
them  until  they  came  to  His  inner  dress  of  fine  white  wool, 
which  was  all  of  one  piece  without  any  sewing  in  it — 
perhaps  the  work  of  His  mother — and  for  it  they  drew  lots 
and  oiie  of  them  got  it  untorn. 

The  two  thieves  were  also  crucified  there,  one  upon  each  side 
of  Jesus,  and  when  the  crosses  were  all  raised  up,  the  people 
came  closer,  and  the  vitriol-hearted  priests,  wagging  their  heads 
and  spreading  out  their  robes,  strutted  to  and  fro  in  front  of 


HE   TRUSTED    IN    GOD.  455 

Jesus  that  His  closing  eyes  might  see  their  triumph.  Again 
His  silence  annoyed  them,  and  they  began  to  jeer  and  to  re- 
proach Him,  and  of  all  the  mockings  of  that  terrible  day  this 
mocking  of  the  dying  Jesus  was  the  most  viperously  cruel,  as 
with  poisonous  tongues  the  priests  levelled  their  triumph  and 
His  punishment  at  His  drooping  head. 

"  He  saved  others,  let  Him  save  Himself,"  said  one. 

"  He  called  Himself  King  of  the  Jews.  Let  Him  now 
come  down  from  the  cross,  and  we  will  believe  on  Him,"  said 
another — adding  a  lie  to  a  taunt. 

"  He  trusted  in  God,"  said  another,  "  let  God  save  Him 
now,  if  He  wisheth  Him,  for  He  said,  'I  am  the  Son  of  God,' " 
and  so  also  said  some  of  the  Lawyers  and  Elders  of  the  people, 
while  some  of  the  crowd  shouted — 

"  Ha  !  Thou  that  wouldst  destroy  the  Temple  and  build  it 
in  three  days,  save  Thyself!  " 

"  If  Thou  art  the  Son  of  God,  come  down  from  the  cross," 
shouted  another. 

And  some  of  the  priests,  when  they  saw  the  black  board 
with  its  white  writing  placed  over  His  head,  were  much  dis- 
pleased, and  went  away  at  once  to  Pilate  to  get  it  changed, 
saying — 

"  Write  on  it,  not  '  King  of  the  Jews,'  but,  '  He  said,  I  am 
King  of  the  Jews.'  " 

"  What  I  have  written,  I  have  written,"  answered  Pilate, 
and  he  refused  to  change  it.  He  was  tired  of  these  cruel 
priests.  And  their  servants  and  guards,  taking  up  the  cries  of 
their  masters,  mocked  Jesus  also,  as  He  hung  there  silent, 
tortured,  and  dying  in  the  fierce  blaze  of  the  sun.  They 
offered  Him  vinegar  to  drink,  to  see  if  He  would  not  speak, 
saying  as  they  came  up  and  read  the  writing  over  His  head — 

"  If  thou  art  the  King  of  the  Jews,  save  Thyself."  And 
one  of  the  thieves,  perhaps  thinking  that  Jesus  was  the  cause 
of  their  being  sooner  put  to  death,  exclaimed — 

"Art  Thou  not  the  Christ?  Save  Thyself  and  us."  And 
though  like  cruel  arrows  piercing  His  breaking  heart,  Jesus 
heard  all  their  bitter  taunts,  yet  He  remained  silent. 


456  IT    IS    FINISHED  ! 

"Dost  not  thou  even  fear  God,"  exclaimed  the  other  thief 
to  his  companion,  who  was  still  calling  Jesus  names,  "  seeing 
thou  art  in  the  same  punishment  as  He?  And  we  are 
punished  rightly  for  what  we  have  done,  but  this  Man  hath 
done  nothing  wrong."  And  turning  his  head,  that  his  eyes 
might  see  Jesus,  he  said  imploringly,  "  Remember  me,  when 
Thou  comest  into  Thy  Kingdom."  Then  the  parched  lips  of 
Jesus  moved  again  as  He  slowly  replied — 

"Truly  I  say  to  thee,  to-day  thou  shalt  be  with  Me  in 
Heaven." 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  learn  from  this,  the  awful  wicked- 
ness of  taking  away  the  life  of  any  one.  Nothing  raises 
wicked  passions  in  us  more  than  sights  of  killing,  whether  by 
soldiers  or  by  executioners  ;  and  if  thou  bearest  in  mind  the 
terrible  cruelty  of  the  death  of  Jesus,  all  thy  Hfe  long  thou  wilt 
set  thy  face  against  taking  away  human  life, — the  sacred  gift 
of  God. 

IT   IS   FINISHED! 

JERUSALEM,    FRIDAY,    APRIL,   A.D.    34. 

It  was  about  ten  o'clock  when  Jesus  was  put  upon  the 
cross  at  Calvary,  to  hang  unshaded  in  the  hot  April  sun  that 
burned  from  a  cloudless  blue  sky,  while  the  priests  came  in 
front  of  Him,  to  watch  Him  dying,  and  make  sport  of  His 
agony.  Nor  did  they  spare  Him,  although  His  mother  came 
near  and  stood  at  His  feet,  weeping  with  a  breaking  heart. 
At  a  distal  ze  stood  a  group  of  Galilean  women,  the  faithful 
Mary  Magdalene,  Salome,  Mary  the  wife  of  Cleopas,  the 
gentle  Mary  and  Martha  from  Bethany,  and  others  from 
Jerusalem,  who  were  weeping  and  watching  also. 

John  is  the  only  disciple  who  is  mentioned  as  having  been 
there,  and  the  soldiers  allowed  him  to  stand  at  the  foot  of  the 
cross  arid  support  Jesus'  mother,  now  a  widow,  weeping,  with 
pale  sweet  face.  Jesus  heard  and  knew  His  mother's  voice, 
and  amid  all  His  anguish  was  sorry  for  her,  and  looking  down 
at  her  and  John,  He  faintly  said  these  few  words — 

"  Woman,  see  thy  son ;  son,  see  thy  mother  ! "  giving  her 


MY  god!  my  god!  457 

into  John's  keeping.  And  ever  after  that  she  lived  in  John's 
house  like  mother  and  son.  Hour  after  hour  passed  slowly 
by,  the  people  looking  on,  women  weeping,  soldiers  guarding, 
priests  watching  like  vultures  to  the  last ;  and  when  twelve 
o'clock  drew  near,  one  of  those  rapid  changes  came  over  the 
sunny  day  which  are  not  uncommon  in  that  country  in  Spring. 
Black  clouds,  foreboding  a  storm,  rolled  up  over  the  moun- 
tains and  the  blue  sky.  The  sun  loomed  red  through  them 
until  it  was  hidden  in  the  grimy  darkness,  and  then  there  was 
a  brooding  gloom  over  everything,  with  strange  stillness  and 
stifling  heat.  And  the  people  were  silent  and  afraid,  as  they 
looked  up  at  the  three  crosses  dimly  seen  against  the  horizon, 
and  expected  something  to  happen.  But  the  hours  passed 
slowly,  and  the  clouds  began  to  clear  again ;  until  about  three 
o'clock,  when  the  people  were  startled  by  a  loud  voice  which 
cried,  in  intense  anguish — 

"  My  God  !  My  God  !  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  Me?  "  It 
was  Jesus  crying  in  the  gloom,  crying  to  God  in  the  language 
of  His  childhood,  and  in  tones  of  bitterest  grief.  Why  He 
cried  thus,  what  He  meant,  we  cannot  tell ;  but  we  can  stand 
in  awe,  with  bowed  heads  in  the  presence  of  such  anguish  and 
despair, — for  it  was  for  us  He  suffered. 

"  He  calleth  for  Elijah  from  Heaven,"  said  some  one,  for 
His  first  two  words, ''EH!  Eh  !"  sounded  like  "  Elijah  !  " 
And  a  soldier  took  a  sponge  and,  pouring  some  water  and 
vinegar  from  his  drinking-flask  upon  it,  put  it  on  the  end  of  a 
reed,  and  holding  it  up  pressed  it  to  the  parched  lips  of  Jesus, 
and  He  drank  a  Httle  of  it. 

"  Let  Him  alone  now,"  said  another.  "  Let  us  see  if  Elijah 
will  come  from  Heaven  to  save  Him."  And  the  people  stood 
watching  and  waiting.  But  time  passed  slowly  on,  minute  by 
minute,  each  bearing  its  load  of  agony,  amid  the  depressing 
gloom  of  thunder-clouds  and  hot,  windless  silence,  as  though 
all  nature  were  hushed,  listening,  waiting  for  the  brooding 
storm  to  break.  Again  there  was  a  movement  among  the 
soldiers  round  the  cross,  for  Jesus  had  with  difficulty  asked 
for  water,  saying — 


45^  HIS    DEATH. 

"  I  thirst !  "  and  again  a  sponge  of  vinegar,  on  a  hyssop 
reed,  was  pressed  to  His  dying  Hps.  Scarcely  had  it  been 
lowered  when  a  sudden  cry — 

^^  It  is  finished  r^  uttered  loudly  by  Jesus,  rang  with  start- 
ling force  in  the  stillness,  followed  by  these  faint  but  no  longer 
despairing  words,  as  He  looked  up  to  Heaven — 

^^  Father,  into  Thy  hands  I  give  My  Spirit /^^  And  He 
bowed  His  head.  Jesus  was  dead  /  The  people  looked  at 
each  other  in  amazement.  What !  Dead  !  Dead  so  soon  ! 
But  still  the  whisper  went  from  lip  to  lip.  He  is  dead / 
Dead,  in  six  hours  !  Even  the  Roman  officer  who  stood 
before  the  cross,  and  who  had  seen  many  a  crucifixion,  was 
astonished,  and  exclaimed — 

"Surely  this  was  a  good  man — the  Son  of  God."  And 
when  He  died,  the  trouble  that  seemed  brooding  in  the 
darkened  skies  of  that  Spring  day,  smote  the  world  in 
an  earthquake  that  made  the  ground  tremble  under  their 
feet,  shaking  graves  open  and  rocks  asunder ;  and  in  the 
Temple,  the  thick  veil  of  purple  and  gold,  sixty  feet  high, 
that  hid  the  Holy  of  Holies  from  the  eyes  of  men, 
was  torn  from  top  to  bottom,  showing  the  emptiness  of 
the  gold-walled  chamber  in  which  God  was  thought  to 
dwell. 

Jesus  was  dead  /  and  in  wonder,  and  great  doubt  the  people 
began  to  go  away  and  leave  the  place,  returning  to  their 
homes  in  the  city,  many  of  them  in  remorse  and  perplexity 
like  wretched  men,  beating  their  breasts  with  their  hands,  as 
they  thoughc  that,  perhaps,  after  all,  it  might  be  that  they 
had  helped  to  crucify  Jesus,  the  Christ,  the  Hope  of  their 
nation  ! 

How  did  He  die  so  soon,  when  others  have  lived  on  for 
three  days  hanging  on  the  dreadful  cross  ?  He  was  young — 
only  thirty-three — strong,  and  had  lived  a  temperate  country 
life.  How  did  He  die  so  soon?  He  had  something  to  bear 
greater  far  than  the  pain  of  His  pierced  hands  and  feet. 
The  wickedness,  the  ingratitude,  the  cruelty  of  men, — the 
future  of  the  world,  pressed  on  His  heart  with  agony  inex- 


HIS  GRAVE  IN  THE  GARDEN.       459 

pressible,  and  He  died  more  of  sorrow  than  of  pain.  The 
people  went  away,  but  the  soldiers  had  to  remain,  for  the  two 
thieves  who  were  crucified  with  Jesus  were  still  hanging  there 
in  agony.  And  the  women  of  Galilee  remained  also.  The 
men  might  go  back  to  the  city  to  work,  to  eat,  to  forget,  but 
they  stayed  on ;  for  some  one  had  gone  to  beg  for  the  loved 
One's  body. 

My  child,  I  have  told  thee  of  the  most  awful  thing  that  has 
happened  in  the  world's  history.  That  Jesus,  the  perfect  One, 
should  have  been  set  upon  by  fiendish  men,  and,  in  the  name 
of  religion,  killed  by  torture  in  our  beautiful  world,  we  cannot 
understand  ;  but  we  know  why  He  let  Himself  be  so  slain,  for 
He  has  told  us  it  was,  "  That  He  7tiight  draw  all  men  unto 
Hi7nr 

HIS   GRAVE   IN   THE  GARDEN. 

JERUSALEM,   FRmAY,   APRIL,   A.D.    34. 

A  short  time  before  Jesus  died,  some  more  priests  had  gone 
to  Pilate.  The  next  day  (which  is  our  Saturday)  was  their 
Jewish  Sabbath.  It  began  at  sunset  on  Friday  evening,  and 
it  was  a  great  day  of  services  in  the  Temple,  for  it  was  the 
Passover  Sabbath,  and  the  priests  said  to  Pilate  that  it  would 
hurt  their  feelings  and  was  against  their  rules,  to  have  three 
bodies  hanging  on  crosses  almost  within  sight  of  the  Temple, 
where  they  were  rejoicing  and  worshipping  God ;  and  they 
asked  that  Jesus  and  the  two  thieves  should  be  put  to  death 
at  once,  that  their  bodies  might  be  taken  down  and  buried  in 
the  vale  of  Hinnom, — the  valley  of  fire,  before  the  Sabbath 
began.  Yes,  they  were  very  anxious  not  to  have  their  Sab- 
bath rules  broken  !  Pilate,  who  wished  to  have  no  more 
trouble  with  them,  gave  orders  that  the  three  sufferers  should 
be  killed,  in  the  usual  way,  which  was  by  breaking  their  legs 
with  heavy  wooden  clubs,  the  shock  killing  the  exhausted  man. 
This  was  accordingly  done  by  the  soldiers  to  the  two  thieves  ; 
but,  when  they  came  to  Jesus,  He  was  already  dead ;  but,  to 
make  quite  sure,  a  soldier  stabbed  Jesus  in  the  side  with  his 


460  JOSEPH    BEGS    HIS    BODY. 

Spear,  and  blood  and  water  came  out;  but  He  showed  no 
sign  of  life. 

By  this  time,  Joseph  of  Arimathaea  (a  place  in  Ephraim),  a 
rich  and  good  man,  had  also  been  to  Pilate.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  great  council  that  had  condemned  Jesus,  and  although 
he  had  not  voted  for  His  death,  he  had  not  opposed  it ;  but 
now  that  Jesus  was  dead,  his  conscience  was  roused.  He  was 
determined  that  His  body  should  not  be  put  into  the  black  and 
smoking  vale  of  Hinnom,  in  which  all  criminals  were  buried, 
and  he  begged  Pilate  to  let  him  have  the  body  that  he  might 
bury  Jesus  that  evening  before  their  Sabbath  began.  Pilate 
was  pleased  with  Joseph's  request;  but  was  surprised  to 
hear  that  Jesus  was  already  dead,  and  as  he  could  not  trust 
to  any  friend  of  Jesus  in  such  an  important  matter,  he  sent 
for  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  crucifixion,  who  told  him  that 
it  was  quite  true,  then  he  gave  orders  that  Joseph  should  have 
His  body.  Joseph  then  found  Nicodemus,  another  friend  of 
Jesus  in  the  great  council,  and  together  they  went  to  the  shops 
and  bought  fine  linen  cloth  to  wrap  the  body  in,  and  sweet 
myrrh  and  bitter  aloes  to  prepare  it,  and  hastened  back  to 
Calvary.  The  Galilean  women  were  still  there,  but  there  were 
few  other  friends.  The  soldiers  dug  up  the  cross,  and  laid  it 
gently  on  the  ground,  and  carefully  drawing  the  nails  from  the 
feet  and  hands,  and  untying  the  cords,  the  body  of  Jesus  was 
tenderly  taken  from  the  rough  wood  and  laid  upon  a  light 
piece  of  basket-work,  and  His  friends  carried  Him  sorrowfully 
away. 

Now  Jos.^h  had  a  large  garden  a  little  way  from  the  city 
and  close  to  Calvary,  beautiful  with  flowers,  grass,  and  rare 
trees,  kept  by  a  gardener ;  and  like  most  rich  men,  he  had 
caused  a  burying-place  to  be  made  for  himself  and  his  family, 
among  the  roses  in  a  quiet  part  of  that  garden.  It  was  a  cave 
cut  out  of  the  soft  white  rock,  with  a  small  entrance,  and  a 
large  chamber  within  ;  and  it  was  new,  no  one  having  yet  been 
buried  in  it.  From  the  green  mount  of  Calvary  to  this  quiet 
and  beautiful  place  the  friends  of  Jesus  carried  His  body,  and 
few  were  the  feet  that  followed  Him  in  death,  though  many 


BURIED    AT    SUNDOWN.  46 1 

had  crowded  after  Him  in  life ;  but  among  them  were  two  of 
the  women  of  GaHlee — Mary,  the  sister  of  His  mother  (who 
had  been  taken  home  by  John),  and  the  faithful  Mary  Mag- 
dalene. With  footsteps  treading  softly  upon  the  daisied 
grass,  through  the  bright  flowers  and  the  scented  shrubs, 
under  the  whispering  leaves,  with  flakes  and  shafts  of  evening 
sunlight  falling  round  them  like  benisons  from  Heaven,  they 
bore  the  beautiful,  the  blood-stained  body  of  their  Friend  and 
Master  to  the  loveliest  spot  in  the  corner  of  that  garden. 
And  Joseph  and  Nicodemus,  hastily  sprinkling  the  linen 
cloths  with  their  spicy  mixture,  wrapped  the  body  of  Jesus  in 
them,  and  laid  Him  tenderly  down  within  the  chamber  of 
that  cave,  there  to  rest  in  darkness  and  in  silence,  safe  from 
all  His  enemies,  until  the  Saturday  should  be  over,  when  they 
would  return  again.  Coming  out  again  they  took  the  large, 
flat  stone  that  was  at  the  opening,  and  rolled  it  up  to  the 
mouth  of  the  grave,  and  by  that  time  the  setting  sun  was 
burning  and  glittering  through  the  trees,  for  the  Jewish 
Sabbath  had  nearly  begun.  And  the  women  who  had  sat 
weeping  at  a  distance,  noting  the  place  where  the  men  had 
laid  Jesus,  rose  and  went  away,  intending  to  prepare  spices 
and  return  on  the  Sabbath  and  dress  His  body  properly,  as 
it  was  the  custom  for  women  to  do,  for  careful  burial  in 
the  Jewish  manner,  and  for  which  there  was  no  time  that 
evening.  Who  can  picture  the  feehngs  of  these  few  men  and 
loving  women,  as  they  left  the  still  garden,  with  the  shadows 
of  that  sorrowful  night  falling  round  them  !  For  Jesus  lay 
dead,  and  all  their  hopes  seemed  scattered  like  a  dream. 
Thus  ended  the  day  which  men  call  "  Good  Friday." 

Next  day  (which  was  our  Saturday,  but  the  Jewish  Sabbath), 
hearing  that  Joseph  and  Nicodemus,  two  of  their  own  council, 
had  buried  Jesus,  the  priests  held  a  short  meeting,  and,  fearing 
some  trick,  they  resolved  to  fasten  the  body  of  Jesus  into  the 
grave  for  safety,  at  least  until  three  days  had  gone  by ;  and 
going  with  the  Pharisees  to  Pilate,  they  sent  him  this  message, 
for  they  said  they  were  too  pure  to  go  into  his  palace — 

**  Sir,  we  remember  that  Jesus,  the  deceiver,  said,  while  He 


462  JESUS  dead! 

was  alive,  that  after  three  days  He  would  rise  again.  Com- 
mand, therefore,  that  His  grave  be  made  secure  until  the  third 
day,  lest  His  friends  come  and  steal  His  body  away,  and  tell 
the  people  that  He  is  risen  from  the  dead ;  when  the  last 
error  would  be  worse  than  the  first." 

"  Take  a  guard  of  soldiers,  and  go  away  and  make  it  as 
secure  as  you  can,"  was  Pilate's  short  message  back.  And 
again  the  strange  sight  was  seen  of  Roman  soldiers  and  head 
priests  entering  a  beautiful,  peaceful  garden ;  but  now  they 
sought  not  the  place  of  the  living,  but  the  grave  of  the  dead. 
And  it  was  the  Jewish  Sabbath  day  when  they  did  this  thing. 
They  found  the  stone  there,  closing  the  mouth  of  the  grave, 
and  in  order  to  seal  Jesus  in,  they  fastened  the  stone,  perhaps 
with  clay  round  the  edges,  perhaps  with  a  feeble  string 
stretched  across  it,  sealed  at  each  end  with  a  priest's  finger 
ring ;  and  then  they  went  away  to  their  priestly  duties  at  the 
Golden  Temple,  for  it  was  a  high  day  with  them,  leaving 
Roman  soldiers  to  watch  by  night  and  by  day  that  no  one 
should  touch  the  stone.  And  as  the  soldiers  paced  to  and 
fro  on  guard,  with  their  armour  on  and  their  weapons  at  hand, 
their  footsteps  echoed  in  the  silent  hollow  of  the  dark  cave 
where  the  body  of  Jesus  lay. 

The  kindness  of  Joseph  is  like  a  shaft  of  light  at  this  time. 
It  was  no  small  thing  for  him  to  face  the  anger  and  the  jeers 
of  his  rich  friends  for  being  kind  to  the  body  of  Jesus.  To 
touch  a  dead  person  would  prevent  him,  as  impure,  from  join- 
ing in  the  Passover  Festivals  for  the  week,  and  to  have  a 
criminal  baried  in  his  garden  would  be  called  a  disgrace ; 
yet  Nicodemus  did  not  hesitate.  And  thou  wilt  learn,  like 
him,  to  do  what  is  right  when  thy  duty  is  made  plain  to  thee, 
letting  them  jeer  who  will. 

JESUS   DEAD! 

JERUSALEM,  SABBATH,  APRIL,  A.D.  34. 

Jesus  dead  !  The  news  spread  dismay  among  His  disciples, 
and  there  was  not  one  who  believed  He  would  ever  rise  again. 
They  hoped  He  would  have  been  the  Saviour  of  the  nation. 


GUARDING    HIS    GRAVE.  463 

and  found  a  great  Kingdom  of  cities,  armies,  and  soldiers,  but 
His  power  seemed  to  be  at  an  end.  Their  dream  of  a  splen- 
did kingdom,  money,  and  power  was  scattered  by  His  death, 
and  they  thought  He  would  henceforth  be  remembered  only 
as  a  singularly  pure  young  Man  of  God  who  worked  wonders, 
and  spoke  things  which  people  could  not  understand,  and  who 
through  envy  was  crucified  by  the  priests  without  resistance. 
If  He  had  only  done  as  His  disciples  wished,  how  different 
things  might  have  been,  they  thought !  There  was  nothing 
left  for  them  now  but  to  go  back  to  their  boats  and  their  nets, 
their  tools,  gardens,  fields,  and  try  to  live  the  good  life  which 
He  had  pictured  to  them,  telling  their  children  of  the  rare 
and  gentle  One  whom  they  had  followed  for  a  while  until  He 
was  killed. 

This  Jewish  Sabbath  was  kept  by  the  priests  in  Jerusalem 
with  extra  high  and  joyful  ceremony  in  the  Golden  Temple, 
with  changing  of  rich  dresses,  trumpet-blowing,  chorus- singing, 
incense-burning,  and  altar  fires.  The  old  Teachers  could 
speak  as  they  liked  now  in  the  beautiful  marble  porches,  with- 
out fear  of  interruption,  for  the  young  Galilean  who  used  to 
teach  there  in  His  simple  white  tunic,  lay  cold  and  still  in  the 
hollow  cave  in  the  beautiful  rose  garden,  securely  sealed  in. 
But  how  was  it  with  the  friends  of  Jesus?  The  Galilean 
women,  gifted  by  nature  with  greater  constancy  than  the  men, 
spent  the  long  sad  day  in  preparing  spices  and  ointments  and 
linen  with  which  to  dress  His  gentle  body  for  regular  Jewish 
burial  on  the  morrow.  His  disciples  said,  Jesus  would  never 
rise  again,  but  despite  His  terrible  death  and  awful  lying  in 
the  grave,  something  made  the  women  hope  and  feel  that  the 
dawning  of  to-morrow  would  bring  new  things.  And  chief 
among  these  believing,  loving  women  was  the  beautiful  Mary 
Magdalene. 

Saturday,  which  was  their  Jewish  Sabbath,  went  slowly 
past,  and  all  through  the  cold,  dark  night  the  Roman 
soldiers  watched  the  grave  by  the  light  of  a  large  fire,  and 
when  morning  drew  near,  they  looked  towards  the  dark 
hills  of  Moab  for  the  first  signs  of  the  coming   day.     Sud- 


464  THE    GRAVE    EMPTY. 

denly,  a  little  before  the  dawn,  an  earthquake  shook  the 
ground,  and  an  angel  with  shining  raiment  passed  through  the 
men.  Going  towards  the  grave  he  rolled  the  great  stone  away 
from  its  opening,  and  sat  down  on  it  to  wait.  He  was  Hke  a 
beautiful  youth,  and  when  he  turned  his  face  towards  the 
soldiers  it  shone  Hke  lightning,  and  his  raiment  was  dazzling 
as  snow,  and  they  were  so  afraid,  that  they  fell  down  and  lay 
with  their  faces  to  the  ground.  When  they  recovered  from 
their  fright  and  looked  up  again,  the  grave  was  empty.  Jesus 
and  the  angel  were  gone.  And  rising  in  haste,  the  soldiers 
fled  into  the  city. 

While  it  was  still  dark,  Mary  Magdalene  had  timidly  left 
her  house  in  Jerusalem,  and  hastening  along  the  silent  streets 
had  found  her  way  alone  into  the  star-Ht  garden,  for  she  was 
determined  to  be  the  first  at  the  grave  with  her  spices  and 
ointments.  She  heard  the  drowsy  challenge  of  the  blackbird 
as  he  awoke  in  the  yew  tree.  Her  feet  brushed  the  glitter- 
ing dewdrops  from  the  wild  flowers  as  she  hastened  over  the 
grass,  for  the  night  was  passing  away,  and  the  silver  streaks  of 
the  dawn  were  shining  along  the  skies  when  she  reached  the 
beautiful  part  of  Joseph's  garden  where  the  grave  was, — but  her 
heart  stopped  with  horror.  The  grave  was  open  ! — empty  ! 
deserted  ! — the  guards  were  gone.  And  while  she  stood  wait- 
ing there,  and  not  knowing  what  to  do,  Mary,  Joanna,  Salome, 
and  other  Galilean  women  came,  also  bringing  spices  and 
ointments  ;  and  they  went  into  the  grave,  and  were  astonished 
to  find  that  the  body  of  Jesus  was  away.  Then  Mary  Magda- 
lene, who  was  young  and  strong,  fled  away  from  the  garden  to 
the  house  in  the  city,  where  Peter  and  John  lived,  to  tell  them 
what  had  happened,  and  as  she  ran,  the  golden  dawn  of  a  new 
and  glorious  day  spread  kindling  over  the  heavens,  until  the 
shadows  fled,  and  radiant  clouds  hung  bosomed  with  crimson 
above ,  her, — a  day  which  has  ever  since  been  called  our 
Sabbath. 

"  They  have  taken  away  the  Lord  out  of  the  grave,  and 
we  do  not  know  where  they  have  laid  Him,"  she  exclaimed 
with   panting   breath,  to   the   two  astonished  disciples,  who 


WOMEN    AND   ANGELS.  465 

sprang  to  their  feet  at  once  and  ran  to  Joseph's  garden  as  fast 
as  they  could,  and  Mary  followed  them  back,  again. 

Now  while  she  was  away,  and  as  the  Galilean  women  waited 
near  the  open  grave  in  the  garden,  sweet  with  the  dewy  fra- 
grance of  the  roses,  suddenly  two  angels  stood  beside  them, 
with  dazzling  robes,  and  the  women  hid  their  faces  in  fear, 
and  heard  one  of  them  say — 

"  Be  not  amazed  !  Be  not  afraid  !  I  know  that  you  seek 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  who  was  crucified.  He  is  not  here  :  He  is 
risen  /  Remember  what  He  said  while  He  was  in  Galilee 
with  you.  That  He  would  be  given  into  the  hands  of  cruel 
men,  and  be  crucified,  and  on  the  third  day  would  rise  again. 
Come  and  see  where  the  Lord  lay,"  pointing  to  that  part  of 
the  cave  where  Joseph  and  Nicodemus  had  tenderly  laid  His 
body.  The  trembling  women  went  into  the  large  dim  chamber 
and  looked.  "  Go  quickly,"  the  angel  continued,  "  and  tell 
His  disciples  and  Peter  that  He  is  risen  from  the  dead,  and 
will  go  into  Galilee  before  you,  where  you  shall  see  Him  as 
He  said.     Now  I  have  told  you." 

And  the  women  hastened  away  from  the  grave  to  tell  the 
disciples  the  joyful  message;  and  as  they  went  they  tried  to 
recollect  what  Jesus  had  said  about  rising  again.  And  this 
was  Sabbath,  the  morning  of  the  third  day  after  His  death, 
for  he  died  on  Friday  afternoon. 

In  the  meantime  John  and  Peter  were  hastening  out  from 
the  city,  and  John,  who  was  the  younger  man,  ran  faster  than 
Peter,  and  came  first  to  the  open  grave  in  the  garden ;  and 
bending  down  he  looked  in,  and  saw  the  pieces  of  linen  cloth 
lying  which  Joseph  had  brought,  but  the  body  of  Jesus  was 
gone  ;  and  he  was  afraid  to  go  in.  But  when  Peter  came,  he 
went  in  at  once  through  the  low  door  and  into  the  dim 
chamber,  and  John  followed  him.  They  looked  at  the  pieces 
of  blood-stained  linen  cloth  which  lay  folded  on  one  side,  and 
thought  it  seemed  as  if  Jesus  had  gone  out  alive,  or  why 
should  the  pieces  of  linen  cloth  be  so  taken  off  His  body  and 
left  behind  ?  Coming  out  into  the  sunshine  again,  they  walked 
away  back  to  their  house  together,  wondering  very  much  at 
what  they  had  seen. 


466  HE    IS    RISEN  ! 

And  thou  wilt  remember  how  the  Jewish  Monday  became 
our  Sabbath,  and  the  great  things  which  happened  on  that 
day  so  long  ago,  when  from  the  sorrow  of  these  faithful 
women  there  rose  a  glorious  hope  of  Ufe  beyond  the  grave. 

HE   IS   RISEN! 

JERUSALEM,    SABBATH,    APRIL,   A.D.    34, 

Peter  and  John  went  back  to  the  city,  but  Mary  Magdalene 
waited  behind  in  the  garden.  She  could  not  leave  the  grave 
of  Jesus  until  she  knew  what  had  become  of  Him  whom  she 
loved  so  much.  Had  He  gone  forth  alive,  or — dreadful 
thought ! — had  the  priests  taken  away  His  body  to  bury  it  in 
the  smoking  vale  of  Hinnom  ?  And  she  went  over  and  stood 
beside  the  open  grave  among  the  roses,  that  hung  their  green 
flowering  streamers  over  the  hard,  grey  rocks,  and  she  wept 
bitterly, — faithful  through  death.  But  what  could  she  do,  a 
poor,  despised  woman  from  distant  Galilee?  Bending  low 
down  she  looked  again  with  tearful  eyes  into  the  dim  cave, 
into  which  she  feared  to  go,  and  instantly  her  sobs  ceased,  for 
she  saw  two  angels  sitting  there  in  dazzling  robes,  the  one  at 
the  head  and  the  other  at  the  foot  of  the  place  where  the  body 
of  Jesus  had  lain,  and  she  started  back  with  a  cry  of  astonish- 
ment. 

"  Woman,  why  weepest  thou  ? "  asked  one  of  them  in  a 
gentle  voice.  Mary  hesitated ;  but  her  love  for  Jesus  con- 
quered her  fears,  and  she  answered  from  without  the  grave — 

"  Becau  jfe  they  have  taken  away  my  Lord,  and  I  know  not 
where  they  have  laid  Him."  And  having  answered  him,  she 
burst  again  into  tears,  and  as  she  turned  away,  she  saw  some 
One  standing  near,  whom  she  took  to  be  the  gardener. 

"  Woman,  why  weepest  thou  ?  Whom  seekest  thou  ?  "  He 
asked.  ,  Thinking  that  the  gardener  would  be  sure  to  know 
what  had  become  of  Jesus,  she  exclaimed  in  words  of  passion- 
ate entreaty — 

"Sir,  if  thou  hast  carried  Him  out,  tell  me  where  thou 
hast  laid  Him,  and  I  will  take  Him  away^     She,  with  her  poor 


MARY    AND    JESUS.  467 

woman's  strength,  would  carry  the  dead  body  of  Jesus  to  a 
place  of  safety,  if  only  he  would  tell  her  where  to  find  Him  ! 
The  reply  was  but  one  word — 

"  J/^;^/"  spoken  in  a  tone  that  made  the  blood  mount  in 
crimson  blushes  to  her  face  as,  turning  to  Him,  she  exclaimed — 

"  Rabboni ! "  for  it  was  Jesus  whom,  in  the  language  of  their 
childhood,  she  called  her  "  Master."  And  sinking  down  she 
would  have  clasped  His  feet  with  her  hands. 

"Take  not  hold  of  Me,"  Jesus  said,  "for  I  have  not  yet 
gone  up  to  My  Father  in  Heaven,  but  go  to  My  disciples  and 
tell  them  that  I  shall  go  to  My  Father  and  your  Father,  to 
My  God  and  your  God."  And  He  departed,  leaving  Mary 
alone  amid  the  flowers  and  trees  of  that  quiet  garden,  with  ^ 
heart  bursting  with  joy,  for  she  was  the  first  to  see  Jesus. 

The  news  of  the  empty  grave  had  now  spread  among  His 
friends,  and  Mary,  sister  to  the  mother  of  Jesus,  returning 
back  to  the  garden,  found  Mary  Magdalene  there  ;  and  as  they 
were  walking  together,  Jesus  appeared  to  them  and  said — 

"All  hail!"  which  was  a  common  manner  of  greeting; 
and  the  women  worshipped  Him,  and  as  they  knelt  down 
and  clasped  His  feet,  they  heard  Him  say,  "  Fear  not !  Go 
and  tell  My  brethren  to  go  to  Galilee,  and  they  shall  see  Me 
there."  And  when  Jesus  was  gone  they  rose  and  went  into 
the  city,  to  tell  as  many  of  their  friends  as  they  could. 
They  found  some  of  them  in  a  house  where  they  had  met 
together  to  talk  over  what  had  happened,  but  they  were  all 
very  much  cast  down,  thinking  that  the  body  of  Jesus  had 
been  stolen  out  of  the  grave ;  and  they  would  not  believe 
Mary  Magdalene  and  the  other  women  when  they  came  in 
and  told  them  that  they  had  seen  Jesus,  and  angels,  and  gave 
them  a  message  to  go  to  Galilee.  They  said  that  their  story 
was  only  women's  foolish  tales. 

What  did  the  Roman  soldiers  do  who  had  fled  at  daybreak 
from  that  green  garden?  They  resolved  to  return  to  their 
quarters  in  the  city,  as  though  their  watch  were  over  at  day- 
break, and  to  say  nothing  to  their  officers  about  the  open  grave. 
They  would  have  been  severely  punished,  and  perhaps  killed, 


468  STRANGE    STORIES. 

by  the  Governor  Pilate,  for  failing  to  keep  a  proper  guard  had 
they  told  him  what  had  happened.  But  they  also  thought 
that  some  of  them  should  go  and  tell  the  priests  who  sealed 
the  stone.  And  early  that  day  they  went  to  the  priests  and 
told  them  about  the  angel  appearing,  and  about  the  body  of 
Jesus  being  away  when  they  recovered  from  their  fear.  Caia- 
phas,  the  High  Priest,  at  once  called  together  his  small  council 
of  chief  men,  and  sitting  in  private  they  talked  over  the  strange 
story.  Some  of  them  would  not  believe  it,  thinking  that  the 
soldiers  had  been  persuaded  to  let  some  friends  of  Jesus  take 
away  His  body,  and  had  made  up  this  tale  to  deceive  them  ; 
but  they  decided  that  what  they  had  said  must  not  become 
known,  and  they  resolved  to  give  the  soldiers  money  if  they 
would  tell  a  different  story. 

Calling  in  the  men,  they  pretended  not  to  believe  their  story, 
and  perhaps  threatened  to  tell  Pilate,  and  said  that  if  they 
would  say  to  people  that  the  disciples  of  Jesus  came  and 
took  away  His  body  while  they  were  asleep,  they  would  give 
them  money  to  divide  among  themselves  and  their  com- 
panions. But  the  soldiers  replied  that  the  punishment  for 
sleeping  while  on  guard  was  instant  death ;  and  how  could 
they  say  that  Jesus  had  been  taken  away  by  His  disciples,  and 
also  say  that  they  were  asleep  at  the  time.  But  the  priests 
told  the  soldiers  never  to  mind  that,  and  made  light  of  their 
fears,  and  offered  them  more  money,  until  it  came  to  a  very 
large  sum,  promising  at  last  that  if  Pilate  should  come  to 
hear  of  their  made  up  story,  they  would  get  him  not  to  punish 
them.  1^  ow  the  men  in  that  council  who  offered  bribes  to 
these  poorly  paid  soldiers  were  the  richest  and  most  powerful 
Jews  in  Jerusalem,  and  at  last  the  soldiers  took  the  money 
and  promised  to  tell  the  required  number  of  lies.  And  when 
the  news  began  to  be  known  throughout  the  city  that  the 
grave  of  Jesus  was  empty,  the  priests  and  the  soldiers  also 
spread  their  story  that  the  disciples  had  stolen  His  body 
while  the  guard  were  asleep.  And  for  years  this  story  of  the 
priests  was  commonly  talked  about  and  was  believed  by  many 
people. 


ON    THE    ROAD    TO    EMMAtJS.  46^ 

And  thou  wilt  remember  how  Mary  Magdalene  stood  weep- 
ing among  the  roses  at  the  door  of  the  empty  grave,  and 
heard  Jesus  speaking  her  name,  and  turning,  called  Him 
"  Master."  And  may  thou,  too,  hear  Jesus  calling  thee, 
and  turn  to  Him  with  all  the  love  and  worship  of  thy  young 
heart. 


ON    THE    ROAD    TO    EMMAUS. 

JERUSALEM,    SABBATH,   APRIL,    A.D.    34. 

And  during  all  that  long  Sabbath,  which  was  the  Jewish 
Monday,  the  disciples  and  friends  of  Jesus  were  meeting 
with  each  other  and  talking  over  the  strange  rumours  and 
stories  of  the  day.  It  was  reported  that  not  only  had  Jesus 
appeared  to  Mary  Magdalene  and  the  other  women,  but  that 
He  had  also  appeared  to  Peter,  but  we  are  not  told  whether 
it  was  in  the  garden.  Two  men  also,  Cleopas  and  his  com- 
panion, said  that  He  had  appeared  to  them  that  afternoon  in 
the  following  manner — 

They  were  going  from  Jerusalem  to  Emmaus,  a  little 
country  village  about  eight  miles  Westward  over  the  Judaean 
hills  towards  the  sea.  They  were  on  their  way  home,  think- 
ing that  the  death  of  Jesus  had  put  an  end  to  all  their  hopes 
and  plans,  and  as  they  walked  they  talked  of  all  that  had 
happened  to  Jesus,  and  whether  He  could  be  the  Christ, 
and  of  the  strange  stories  of  the  women,  who  said  that  He 
had  appeared  to  them  early  that  morning  in  Joseph's  garden. 
While  they  were  thus  talking  earnestly  a  young  Stranger  over- 
took them,  and  walked  beside  them,  hstening  to  what  they 
said  as  they  argued  together. 

"  What  are  those  sad  things  about  which  you  talk  with  each 
other  as  you  walk?"  the  Stranger  asked,  for  He  saw  they 
were  much  cast  down.  They  were  surprised  that,  coming 
from  Jerusalem,  He  should  put  such  a  question. 

*'  Art  Thou  a  stranger  in  Jerusalem,"  they  asked,  "  that 
Thou  knowest  not  what  has  happened  there  in  these  days?  " 

"What  things?"  was  the  simple  question. 


470  ABIDE    WITH    US. 

"  About  Jesus  of  Nazareth,"  they  both  answered,  "  who  was 
a  Prophet,  great  in  deed  and  word  before  God  and  all  the 
people,  and  how  the  chief  priests  and  our  rulers  gave  Him  up 
to  Pilate  to  be  put  to  death ;  and  they  have  crucified  Him 
whom  we  thought  was  the  Christ,  and  trusted  should  have 
saved  the  nation.  Besides  all  this,"  continued  the  men 
earnestly,  ''this  is  the  third  day  since  it  happened.  Yes, 
and  some  of  our  women  who  were  early  at  His  grave  this 
morning,  came  and  amazed  His  friends  by  saying  that  His 
body  was  gone,  and  that  they  had  seen  a  vision  of  angels, 
who  said  that  Jesus  was  aUve ;  and  some  of  us  went  to  the 
grave  and  found  it  empty  as  the  women  had  said,  but  we 
did  not  see  Jesus."  The  two  men  did  not  believe  the  story 
of  the  women  about  the  angels ;  and  when  they  were  done 
speaking,  the  Stranger  replied  in  a  way  which  showed  that 
He  did  not  see  why  they  should  doubt  that  Jesus  was  the 
Christ. 

"  Oh,  foolish  men  ! "  He  said,  "  and  slow  to  believe  after 
all  that  the  prophets  have  said.  According  to  them,  ought 
not  the  Christ  to  suffer  these  very  things  which  Jesus  hath 
suffered,  and  enter  into  His  glory?"  The  men  were  not 
able  to  answer,  and  as  they  walked  on,  the  Stranger  began 
at  the  first  book  of  the  Bible,  and  going  through  all  the 
books,  pointed  out  the  things  which  applied  to  Jesus  as 
the  Christ,  and  which  had  been  written  many  years  before ; 
and  as  they  listened,  they  thought  that  He  must  be 
some  great  Teacher,  and  their  hearts  glowed  with  joy  at 
what  He  said.  They  walked  for  two  hours  together,  and 
the  afternoon  was  far  on  before  they  reached  the  pretty 
village  of  Emmaus,  with  its  white  houses  set  upon  a  rising 
ground,  in  a  district  of  orange  and  lemon  groves  and  olive 
trees  ;  and  when  they  came  to  the  low  flat-roofed  house  where 
the  men  lived,  they  stopped,  and  the  Stranger  was  about  to 
bid  them  farewell  and  go  further  on,  but  they  asked  Him  to 
come  in,  saying — 

"  Abide  with  us,  for  it  is  near  evening,  and  the  day  is  now 
far  spent."     The  red  sun  sinking  over  the  hills  of  Ephraim 


DID    NOT    OUR    HEARTS    BURN?  47 1 

told  them  that  it  would  soon  be  dark,  and  the  Stranger 
accepted  their  invitation  and  went  into  the  house.  When 
the  evening  meal  was  ready,  they  sat  down  at  the  table, 
and  the  Stranger,  taking  up  the  bread,  blessed  it,  and  break- 
ing it,  held  it  out  to  them.  Something  in  His  manner  of 
doing  this  told  the  two  men  that  He  whose  appearance  was 
so  different  from  that  of  their  young  Master  before  His  death, 
was  none  other  than  Jesus  Himself, — and  instantly  He  van- 
ished from  their  sight. 

"  Did  not  our  hearts  burn  within  us,  as  He  talked  with  us 
by  the  way  and  explained  the  Bible  ?  "  they  exclaimed  ;  and 
they  wondered  how  it  was  that  they  did  not  know  Him 
sooner.  Hastily  finishing  their  meal,  Cleopas  and  his  com- 
panion walked  back  again  to  Jerusalem,  arriving  there  in  the 
dark ;  and  they  went  at  once  to  the  house  of  their  friends, 
and  found  a  number  of  them  still  there. 

"The  Lord  is  risen  indeed,  and  hath  appeared  to  Peter," 
was  the  first  thing  they  were  told  when  they  went  in ;  and 
then,  amid  hushed  attention,  they  also  told  how  Jesus  had 
appeared  to  them,  and  what  He  had  said.  But  the  people 
who  were  in  the  house  would  not  believe  their  story.  And  when 
they  were  done,  they  all  remained  together  talking,  with  both 
the  inner  and  outer  doors  closed,  for  fear  of  the  priests,  who 
had  spread  the  report  that  they  had  stolen  the  body  of  Jesus. 
But  the  stories  of  all  those  who  said  they  had  seen  Jesus  that 
day  were  so  strange,  that  there  were  some  among  His 
friends  who  refused  to  believe  that  He  had  been  seen  at 
all. 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  think  of  how  Jesus  was  with  these 
two  men  and  taught  them  ;  and  wilt  remember  that,  while 
thou  canst  never  see  Him,  yet  He  will  give  thee  views  of 
truth  and  golden  openings  of  heaven,  in  a  companionship 
closer  even  than  they  had, — 

"  For  though  His  face  we  cannot  see, 
Nor  touch  His  human  hand; 
He  dwelleth  with  the  pure  in  heart 
Of  every  clime  and  land." 


472  BE    NOT    DOUBTFUL,    BUT    BELIEVING. 

BE   NOT   DOUBTFUL,    BUT    BELIEVING. 

JERUSALEM,   APRIL,   A.D.    34. 

As  the  friends  of  Jesus  sat  in  that  upper  room,  said  to  be 
in  Mark's  mother's  house,  on  this  first  Sabbath  evening  after 
His  death,  they  found  much  to  talk  about,  for  Jesus  was  re- 
ported to  have  appeared  four  different  times  to  people  that 
day,  some  of  whom  brought  messages  from  Him,  and  all  of 
whom  had  something  strange  to  say  of  His  appearance,  and  of 
His  coming  and  going.  All  the  disciples  but  Thomas  were 
there,  and  there  would  also  be  the  Galilean  women,  and 
Mary,  Martha,  and  Lazarus  from  Bethany,  Nicodemus,  Cleo- 
pas,  and  Joseph,  and  they  had  the  door  securely  shut,  lest 
their  meeting  should  become  known  to  the  Pharisees.  Those 
to  whom  Jesus  had  appeared,  firmly  believed  that  He  was 
risen,  but  those  to  whom  He  had  not  appeared  said  that  the 
others  had  only  had  visions  or  had  seen  a  ghost,  and  they  would 
not  believe ;  for  the  dreadful  spectacle  of  Jesus  hanging  dead 
upon  the  cross  had  crushed  out  all  their  hopes.  With  hghts 
dim,  so  as  not  to  attract  notice,  they  sat  talking  on  that  Sab- 
bath evening,  and  some  of  them  were  having  a  little  food, 
when  suddenly  the  form  of  Jesus  appeared  in  their  midst,  and 
He  saluted  them  in  His  old  way,  saying — 

"  Peace  be  to  you."  But  they  all  gazed  at  Him  in  silent 
terror  and  amazement,  thinking  they  saw  a  ghost,  for  the  doors 
were  barred  and  the  windows  shut. 

"  Why  are  you  troubled  ?  Why  do  doubts  rise  in  your 
minds?  bee,"  He  said,  holding  out  His  hands,  which  the 
cruel  nails  had  pierced  on  the  cross,  "  see  My  hands  and  My 
feet,  that  it  is  I  myself.  Handle  Me,  and  see ;  for  a  ghost 
hath  not  flesh  and  bones,  as  you  see  Me  have."  And  He 
showed  them  His  pierced  hands  and  feet,  and  the  wound  in 
His  sid-e,  which  the  soldier's  spear  had  made.  But  yet  some 
of  the  people  there,  out  of  very  joy,  could  not  believe  that  it 
was  Jesus  whom  they  saw,  and  continued  to  gaze  at  Him  in 
wonder. 

"  Have   you   here  anything  to  eat  ?  "  Jesus  asked.     And 


PREACH    THE    GOSPEL.  473 

some  one  gave  Him  a  piece  of  broiled  fish  and  some  honey- 
comb, which  He  ate.  Then  He  upbraided  His  ten  disciples 
for  their  want  of  faith  and  hardness  of  heart  in  not  believing 
those  who  said  they  had  seen  Him,  and  by  whom  He  had 
sent  a  message ;  and  He  reminded  them  of  how  He  had  told 
them  that  He  would  be  killed  and  would  rise  again,  and,  after 
speaking  of  other  things.  He  said — 

"  Go  you  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every 
one,  and  whoever  believeth  shall  be  saved,  and  he  that 
believeth  not  shall  be  punished.  Peace  be  with  you.  As 
God  sent  Me  to  teach,  even  so  send  I  you."  And  when  He 
had  said  this,  He  breathed  upon  them,  saying,  "  Receive 
the  Holy  Spirit."  Then  He  vanished  from  their  sight,  and 
they  were  left  wondering  at  what  they  had  seen  and  heard. 

After  this  the  friends  of  Jesus  did  not  at  once  go  home  to 
Galilee,  but  stayed  on  in  Jerusalem  for  more  than  a  week, 
meeting  daily  together  in  the  same  upper  room,  in  Mark's 
mother's  house,  expecting  to  see  Jesus  again,  and  they  told 
Thomas  about  Jesus  appearing  among  them  on  the  first 
Sabbath  evening.  But  Thomas  was  an  independent,  strong- 
willed  man,  and  he  would  not  beheve  their  stories.  He 
thought  that  the  teaching  of  Jesus  was  at  an  end,  and  with 
sorrow  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  go  back  to  the  Lake  of 
Gennesaret  and  his  fishing-nets,  and  when  the  others  pressed 
him  to  believe  that  Jesus  was  indeed  risen,  he  replied — 

"  Unless  I  shall  see  in  His  hands  the  print  of  the  nails,  and 
put  my  fingers  into  them,  and  shall  put  my  hand  into  the 
spear-wound  in  His  side,  I  will  not  believe."  His  strong 
nature  had  received  such  a  shock  from  the  death  of  Him 
whom  he  thought  armies  could  not  have  conquered,  that 
he  demanded  such  proof  as  he  believed  would  never  be 
given.  He  came,  however,  to  their  meetings  in  the  room 
above  the  street  in  Jenisalem.  A  week  went  past  without 
Jesus  being  seen  again  by  any  one ;  till  one  evening,  as  His 
followers  were  met  together  in  the  same  room,  with  closed 
doors,  suddenly  Jesus  stood  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  said  as 
before — 


474  LOVEST    THOU    ME? 

"  Peace  be  to  you,"  and  holding  out  His  hands,  He  said  to 
Thomas,  "  Reach  hither  thy  finger,  and  see  My  hands,  and  thy 
hand,  and  put  it  into  My  side,  and  be  not  doubtful,  but  be- 
lieving." Thomas  was  filled  with  grief  at  those  sad  words; 
and  the  thought  covered  him  with  shame  and  confusion  that, 
in  moments  of  bitter  hopelessness,  he  had  spoken  ever  so 
lightly  of  his  dear  Master. 

And  he  exclaimed  in  deep  earnestness,  "  My  Lord,  and  my 
God ! " 

"Because  thou  hast  seen  Me  hast  thou  beheved?"  Jesus 
asked  His  strong-willed  disciple,  adding,  as  a  gentle  rebuke, 
^'^  Blessed  are  they  who  have  not  seen  Me^  and  yet  have  believed.^'' 
Meaning  that  it  is  but  a  weak  trust  and  a  narrow  spirit  that 
will  not  beheve  what  it  has  not  seen.  And  again  Jesus 
departed  from  among  them  as  strangely  as  He  had  come. 

And  thou,  too,  wilt  remember  the  lesson  given  to  Thomas, 
that  they  are  greatly  blessed  who  have  faith  in  the  unseen,  but 
ilot  unknown.  Thou  wilt  meet  with  men  who  will  deny  this 
saying  of  Jesus,  and  tell  thee  to  believe  nothing  that  thou 
canst  not  see,  but  they  may  as  well  ask  thee  to  believe  that 
Jesus  never  lived,  for  the  greatest  things  are  those  which  we 
cannot  see  and  yet  believe, — wind,  thought,  heaven,  hfe,  spirit, 
Jesus,  God, — all  are  unseen. 

LOVEST    THOU    ME? 

LAKE-SIDE,  APRIL,  A.D.    34. 

A  few  weeks  have  passed  since  the  death  of  Jesus,  and  the 
scene  is  once  more  by  the  blue  Lake  of  Gennesaret,  amid  the 
familiar  green  hills,  and  in  the  loveliest  time  of  all  the  year — 
Spring — the  time  of  wild  flowers  and  blossoming  fruit  trees. 

When  the  Passover  Festival  was  over,  the  bands  from 
Galilee-  walked  home  again  to  their  villages  among  the  green 
hills,  spreading  the  news  of  the  sad  death  of  Jesus.  And  the 
disciples  followed  them,  for  they  had  been  told  that  Jesus 
would  meet  them  on  a  certain  hill  in  Galilee,  and  until  that 
day  should  come,  Peter  and  some  of  the  others  went  to  their 


I    AM    WITH    YOU    ALWAYS.  475 

homes  by  the  Lake-side,  and  began  again  their  trade  of 
fishermen. 

During  the  six  weeks  that  followed  that  Sabbath  morning 
when  the  grave  of  Jesus  was  found  open  and  empty,  we  are 
told  that  He  appeared  and  spoke  to  many  of  His  disciples  and 
friends,  and  showed  Himself  alive  by  many  proofs.  His 
appearing  to  James,  to  about  five  hundred  people  in  one  place 
in  Galilee,  to  the  disciples  upon  a  hill  there,  to  Peter  and 
others  on  the  shore  of  the  Lake,  and  to  the  disciples  again  in 
Jerusalem,  are  specially  mentioned.  We  are  also  told  that  He 
did  many  signs  before  them.  Yet  we  are  told  there  was 
always  something  so  strange  in  His  appearance,  and  in  His 
coming  and  in  His  going  again,  that  His  friends  sometimes 
failed  at  first  to  know  that  it  was  He,  and  many  doubted  if 
He  were  really  risen  in  bodily  form  at  all.  But  the  faith  of 
the  eleven  disciples  grew  stronger  every  day,  and  they  began 
to  hope  again  that  Jesus  would  yet  come  to  remain  and 
establish  a  great  kingdom  upon  the  earth. 

When  the  appointed  day  came,  the  disciples  gathered  to 
the  hill  in  Galilee  which  Jesus  had  named,  and  which  would 
not  be  far  from  the  Lake  of  Gennesaret,  and  He  appeared  to 
them  there,  at  first  a  little  way  ofi",  and  they  worshipped  Him, 
then  coming  towards  them,  He  repeated  some  of  the  things 
which  He  had  told  them  before,  adding — 

"  All  power  hath  been  given  to  Me  in  Heaven  and  on  earth. 
Go,  therefore,  and  make  followers  of  Me  in  all  places,  teach- 
ing them  to  do  all  the  things  that  I  have  commanded  you. 
Lo  !  I  am  with  you  always,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world." 
And  after  remaining  a  short  time  with  them.  He  again 
departed  from  their  sight.  But  even  yet,  some  who  were 
there,  doubted  whether  they  had  seen  their  own  dear 
Master,  or  only  a  vision,  for  they  could  not  understand 
why  He  should  come  and  go  in  this  strange  way.  They 
were  being  taught  to  do  without  His  presence,  and  to  be- 
lieve Him  alive,  though  unseen.  And  from  that  hill  the 
disciples  went  back  again  to  their  boats  and  their  fishing  at 
the  Lake. 


476  IT    IS    THE    LORD. 

A  few  days  later  Peter,  James,  Thomas,  John,  Nathanael, 
and  two  others,  had  gone  out  in  Peter's  boat  to  fish  all  night, 
which  was  the  usual  time  for  fishing,  and  though  they  rowed 
up  and  down  the  Lake,  putting  out  and  taking  in  their  nets, 
when  the  red  dawn  burned  along  the  edges  of  the  hills  and  be- 
gan to  lighten  upon  the  water,  they  had  caught  nothing,  and  it 
was  no  use  trying  any  longer.  As  they  rowed  to  the  land,  the 
growing  day  was  breaking  over  the  purple  hills  of  the  Jaulan, 
and  steeping  the  lake  with  rose  and  gold,  and  they  saw  a 
Stranger,  whom  they  did  not  know,  standing  on  the  white 
shore  by  the  water's  edge,  and  He  called  to  them — 

"Children,  have  you  anything  to  eat?"  and  when  they 
answered  "  No,"  He  replied — 

"  Cast  the  net  on  the  right  side  of  the  boat,  and  you  shall 
find  fish."  The  men  stopped  rowing.  Perhaps  He  had  seen 
fish  moving  there,  and  they  quickly  lowered  their  net  once 
more,  rowing  round  in  a  ring  until  it  was  hanging  in  a  circle 
in  the  water,  and  when  they  began  slowly  to  pull  it  in, 
they  found  it  heavy  with  fish,  and  the  truth  flashed  on 
John. 

"  It  is  the  Lord  !  "  he  exclaimed.  And  when  Peter  heard 
John  say  this,  he  looked,  and  binding  his  fisherman's  coat 
about  him,  for  he  was  naked,  having  perhaps  swum  round 
with  the  net,  he  sprang  into  the  water  to  swim  to  the  shore, 
which  was  only  a  hundred  yards  off,  and  with  swift  strokes  he 
was  soon  at  the  feet  of  the  Stranger.  The  other  men,  getting 
into  a  little  boat,  rowed  slowly  towards  the  shore,  dragging 
the  full  ne»  after  them,  and  when  they  came  to  the  beach, 
they  found  a  fire  burning,  with  fish  laid  on  it  to  cook,  and 
bread  to  eat. 

*'  Bring  the  fish  which  you  have  caught,"  the  Stranger  said, 
and  the  men  pulled  in  the  net,  and  shook  out  a  hundred  and 
fifty-three  large  fishes  upon  the  pebbly  beach.  And  they  were 
surprised  that  their  slender  net  was  not  broken. 

"Come!  break  your  fast — eat,"  the  Stranger  said,  and 
taking  the  fish  and  the  bread  in  His  hands  He  broke  them, 
and  gave  them  to   the   hungry  disciples.      And  while  they 


FOLLOW    THOU    ME.  477 

wished  much  to  make  certain  who  He  was,  yet  none  of  them 
cared  to  ask  Him,  for  they  knew  it  was  Jesus.  After  they  had 
breakfasted,  turning  to  Peter,  Jesus  said — 

"Lovest  thou  Me  more  than  these?"  pointing  to  the  other 
disciples. 

"Yes,  Lord,  Thou  knowest  that  I  love  Thee,"  Peter  an- 
swered humbly. 

"  Feed  My  lambs  !  "  was  the  reply,  meaning,  teach  My 
followers.  And  after  a  pause  He  asked  again,  "  Lovest  thou 
Me  much?"  to  which  Peter  replied  anxiously — 

"  Yes,  Lord,  Thou  knowest  that  I  love  Thee  much." 

"  Feed  My  sheep,"  was  the  reply.  After  another  pause, 
He  said  a  third  time,  "Lovest  thou  Me  very  much?"  Now 
Peter  was  deeply  grieved  that  he  was  asked  thus  a  third 
time,  and  he  replied  earnestly — 

"  Lord,  Thou  knowest  all  things  ;  Thou  knowest  that  I  love 
Thee." 

"  Feed  My  sheep,"  was  again  the  reply.  Had  not  Peter 
in  the  courtyard  of  Caiaphas's  palace  three  times  denied  that 
he  even  k7iew  Jesus  ?  But  Jesus  was  not  unkind,  and  looking 
on  Peter's  troubled  face.  He  added  gently,  "  I  tell  thee,  that 
when  thou  wast  young,  thou  didst  bind  up  thy  robe  and  walk 
whither  thou  wouldest ;  but  when  thou  art  old  thou  shalt  stretch 
forth  thy  hands  and  another  one  shall  guide  thee  and  carry  thee 
whither  thou  wouldest  not."  This  was  a  gentle  rebuke  for 
Peter's  fault  of  too  much  self-confidence. 

"  Follow  Me  !  "  said  Jesus,  and  He  turned  and  walked  away 
from  the  Lake,  and  as  they  went,  John  walked  behind,  and 
Peter  asked,  pointing  to  John — 

"  Lord  !  and  what  shall  this  man  do?  " 

"  If  I  will  that  he  remain  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee?  " 
was  the  reply.  "  Follow  thou  Me  !  "  But  the  disciples  did 
not  know  what  Jesus  meant  by  His  answer,  nor  can  we  under- 
stand it ;  and  soon  after  that  He  parted  from  them. 

And  thou,  my  child,  canst  ask  thyself  the  question  which 
Jesus  asked  the  rough,  warm-hearted  Peter,  "  Lovest  thou 
Jesus."     Peter  had  his  faults,  and  so  hast  thou ;  but  I  think 


478  A    CLOUD    RECEIVED    HIM. 

that  thou  canst  answer  as  truthfully  as  he — "  Lord,  Thou 
knowest  that  I  love  Thee,"  for  to  love  Jesus  is  to  love  all  that 
makes  life  good  and  beautiful  and  happy. 

A  CLOUD    RECEIVED    HIM. 

JERUSALEM,    MAY,    A.D.    34. 

It  was  early  Summer,  the  trees  were  in  thick  green  leaf,  and 
wheat  was  waving  in  the  fields  when  the  disciples  returned  from 
Galilee  to  Jerusalem  to  live  together  in  the  same  large  upper 
room  above  the  street,  reached  by  a  stone  outside  stair,  in  which 
they  had  lived  before.  They  were  now  full  of  hope  that  Jesus 
would  come  again,  and  drive  out  all  the  enemies  of  their 
country,  and  live  in  the  king's  palace  at  Jerusalem,  to  remain 
with  them,  and  establish  His  great  kingdom  of  cities  and 
armies  on  the  earth. 

We  now  come  to  His  last  appearance.  It  happened 
about  six  weeks  after  His  death,  and  in  the  same  strange 
manner  as  before.  The  disciples  were  all  met  together  in  the 
same  upper  room,  in  Jerusalem,  and  Jesus  was  again  seen 
by  them  there,  and  spoke  much  to  them.  We  are  not  told  all 
that  He  said,  but  He  reminded  them  of  what  He  had  said 
about  His  death,  before  it  happened,  saying — 

These  were  the  words  which  I  told  you  while  I  was  living 
with  you,  that  everything  must  happen  to  Me  that  is  written 
about  the  Christ  in  the  Books  of  Moses,  the  Psalms,  and  the 
Old  Prophets  of  the  Bible.  And  then  He  explained  the  Bible 
to  them,  causing  their  minds  to  understand  what  they  had  not 
understooc  'before,  just  as  He  had  done  to  the  two  men  on 
the  Emmaus  road,  showing  them  the  parts  which  applied  to 
Him  as  the  Christ,  adding — For  it  is  written  there  that  the 
Christ  should  suffer  death,  and  rise  again  from  the  grave 
on  the  third  day ;  so  that  repentance  and  forgiveness  should 
be  afterwards  taught  in  His  name  to  all  nations  of  the  world, 
beginning  first  in  Jerusalem.  And  you  are  the  witnesses  of 
these  things — witnesses  that  I  am  Jesus  the  Christ,  of  whom 
the  Bible  speaketh.  Then,  speaking  of  the  Spirit  of  Truth, 
which  He  had  promised  them,  He  added — Behold  I  shall 


ON    OLIVET.  479 

send  the  promise  of  My  Father  upon  you,  but  you  must 
remain  in  Jerusalem  until  you  receive  that  promise  from  God. 
In  a  few  days  you  will  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit. 

He  then  told  them  to  follow  Him,  and  led  the  way  out  of 
the  city,  over  the  bridge,  past  the  dark  olive  grove  of  Geth- 
semane,  and  up  to  the  Mount  of  Olives,  by  the  Bethany  road. 
Once  more,  from  the  other  side  of  the  deep,  dark  Kedron 
valley,  they  saw  the  splendid  city  outspread,  with  its  great 
Temple  of  white  and  gold.  The  men  knew  that  this  was  to  be 
the  last  appearance  of  Jesus,  and  they  wished  to  ask  one  ques- 
tion before  He  left  them.  In  what  year,  on  what  day,  would 
He  return  to  the  world  to  establish  His  great  kingdom  ?  For 
they  still  believed  that  He  would  drive  out  the  Romans  with 
soldiers,  and  give  the  Jews  back  their  country,  in  which 
triumph  they  would  all  share,  and  they  put  this  question — 

"  Lord,  wilt  Thou  at  this  time  restore  the  kingdom  to  the 
Jews?" 

"  It  is  not  for  you  to  know  the  times  and  seasons  which 
God  hath  appointed,"  was  His  only  reply.  And  He  told  them 
of  other  things  which  they  should  think  about.  Of  the  Spirit, 
which  would  teach  them  that  His  Kingdom  of  Heaven  was  a 
Kingdom  in  the  hearts  of  men,  not  a  Kingdom  of  cities  and 
soldiers.  "You  shall  receive  power,"  He  said,  "when  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  come  upon  you,  and  you  shall  be  witnesses  for 
Me,  not  only  in  Jerusalem,  but  also  in  Judsea  and  Samaria, 
and  the  furthest  parts  of  the  world."  Thus  speaking  of  the 
long  journeys  which  these  disciples  would  go  when  spreading 
His  message  of  Heaven. 

Slowly  they  chmbed  the  hill  to  the  highest  point  of  Olivet, 
from  which  they  could  see  the  splendid  city  of  Jerusalem,  and 
the  spot  beyond  the  Western  wall  where  Jesus  was  killed.  To 
their  left  hand  they  could  trace  the  oudine  of  the  yellow  He- 
bron hills  towards  Bethlehem,  where  thirty-three  years  ago 
He  was  born.  And  there  upon  His  favourite  place  of  retire- 
ment, a  silent,  wind-swept  hill,  under  His  feet  the  simple 
flower-strewn  grass,  over  His  head  the  fair  blue  sky  with  white 
clouds  bending  low,  clouds  cloven  with  the  snowy  wings  of 


480  WHY    STAND    YE    GAZING? 

angels,  whose  radiant  faces  looked  down  upon  this  the  last 
scene  of  all,  lifting  up  His  hands  He  blessed  the  group  of 
Galilean  fishermen ;  and  while  He  yet  spoke  He  was  parted 
from  them,  and  taken  up  into  Heaven ;  and  as  they  looked, 
a  cloud  received  Him  out  of  their  sight,  and  they  worshipped 
there. 

"You  men  of  Galilee,"  said  a  voice  beside  them,  "why  do 
you  stand  gazing  up  into  the  sky?  "  The  men  turned  to  the 
speaker,  and  were  amazed  to  see  two  angels  standing  beside 
them,  who  continued,  "This  Jesus,  who  hath  been  received 
up  from  you  into  Heaven,  shall  come  in  the  same  way  as  you 
have  seen  Him  go."  This  was  their  message,  and  the  angels 
also  departed.  Then  the  eleven  disciples  returned  into  the 
city  and  to  their  friends  whom  they  had  left  in  the  upper  room, 
and  told  them  what  had  happened,  and  that  Jesus  would 
appear  no  more. 

The  followers  of  Jesus  waited  on  in  Jerusalem  for  the  com- 
ing of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  full  measure,  as  they  were  told  to 
do,  and  continued  to  meet  in  their  large  room  day  after  day  ; 
Peter,  James,  John,  Andrew,  Philip,  Thomas,  Bartholomew, 
Matthew,  Simon,  Judas,  James  the  Less,  Joseph,  Nicodemus, 
Mark,  Lazarus,  Matthias,  Cleopas,  Mary,  the  mother  of  Jesus, 
and  her  sister  Salome,  Mary  Magdalene,  Martha,  Mary,  Jo- 
anna, and  the  brothers  of  Jesus  and  others  who  joined  them, 
would  all  be  there.  And  they  continued  together  praying, 
and  going  daily  to  the  Temple  to  praise  and  bless  God ; 
and  soon  their  numbers  increased  to  over  an  hundred  per- 
sons. , 

My  child,  thou  wilt  hear  it  said  that  the  body  of  Jesus 
did  not  come  to  life  again  after  His  death,  but  that  only 
His  Spirit  lived,  and  that  these  strange  appearances  to  His 
friends  were  visions.  Some  even  of  those  who  saw  Him 
would  not  believe  that  they  saw  Jesus ;  and  it  is  indeed 
true  that  He  did  not  seem  the  same  as  before.  But 
let  not  that  disturb  thy  mind.  The  great  truth  remains, 
that  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  lives  after  His  death.  And  the 
effect  upon  His  disciples  was  to  change  them  from  terrified 


Peter's  defence.  481 

and  despairing  men  to  brave  and  confident  teachers,  such 
as  the  world  had  not  seen.  In  thy  thoughts  about  His 
life,  thou  wilt  not  fail  to  catch  the  golden  thread  of  absolute 
spiritual  truth  which  runs  through  it  all ;  and,  having  that, 
thou  canst  afford  to  let  alone  many  of  the  unexplainable 
things  round  which  controversy  so  fruitlessly  and  harmfully- 
wages. 

PETER'S     DEFENCE. 

JERUSALEM,   MAY,   A.D.    34. 

During  the  days  that  passed  while  the  followers  of  Jesus 
waited  in  Jerusalem  for  the  fuller  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
Peter  became  the  chief  disciple,  and  did  all  he  could  to 
encourage  the  rest,  as  Jesus  had  told  him  to  do.  He  thought 
they  should  appoint  another  disciple  in  the  place  of  the 
dead  Judas  Iscariot,  and  so  have  twelve  again;  and  at  a 
meeting  in  Jerusalem,  when  there  were  one  hundred  and 
twenty  persons  present,  so  rapidly  did  others  join  them, 
Peter  stood  up,  and  having  told  them  about  Judas  Iscariot, 
urged  strongly  that  his  place  should  be  filled,  saying — 

"  Of  the  men  who  have  been  with  us  all  the  time  that 
Jesus  went  about  among  us,  one  must  become  a  witness  with 
us  the  other  disciples,  of  His  rising  from  the  dead."  And 
the  ten  disciples  agreed  that  this  was  right,  and  put  forward 
two  men,  Joseph  and  Matthias,  that  Peter  might  choose  one 
of  them.  And  they  prayed  to  Jesus,  saying  that  He  knew  the 
hearts  of  all  men,  and  asking  which  of  them  He  wished. 
They  then  drew  lots  between  the  men,  and  the  lot  fell  on 
Matthias,  who  became  one  of  the  twelve  disciples.  The  upper 
room  soon  became  too  small  for  their  meetings,  and  they 
went  to  a  larger  and  more  public  place,  where  they  met  with 
open  doors,  for  the  cruel  death  of  Jesus,  instead  of  putting 
down  His  followers,  had  caused  many  secret  friends  to  come 
publicly  forward  and  join  the  disciples,  and  they  no  longer 
feared  the  priests,  but  met  openly  as  followers  of  Jesus  who 
had  been  crucified. 

Another  Festival  came  round,  the  Festival  of  Weeks,  when 


4S2  WE    ARE    NOT    DRUNK. 

first  fruits  were  offered  in  the  Temple,  and  on  a  day  in  the 
end  of  May,  called  the  Day  of  Pentecost,  as  these  early  Chris- 
tians were  met  together  in  Jerusalem,  in  a  large  public  room, 
which  could  easily  be  found,  a  strange  thing  happened. 
Suddenly  there  came  a  sound  from  the  skies  as  of  a  storm 
of  rushing  wind  and  lightning,  and  it  seemed  to  fill  the  place 
where  they  were  sitting,  and  they  saw  what  looked  like  flaming 
tongues  of  fire  dividing  up  among  them,  and  resting  on  each 
of  them.  And  as  they  sat  there  in  awe-struck  silence,  they 
were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  one  after  another  they 
began  to  speak  in  strange  tongues,  and  were  full  of  great  joy 
and  enthusiasm,  and  praised  and  thanked  God  for  His  gift. 
Now  there  were  in  Jerusalem  at  that  time  many  good  Jews 
who  had  come  to  the  Festival  from  foreign  countries,  and 
some  of  them  were  at  this  meeting,  and  when  they  heard  the 
disciples  speaking  of  Jesus  and  His  death,  they  were  surprised, 
and  asked — 

"  Are  not  these  men  who  speak  all  GaHleans  ?  And  yet 
we  hear  them  speaking  of  the  mighty  works  of  God  each  in 
our  own  language."  But  other  Jews  of  the  city  came,  who 
disliked  Jesus  and  His  followers,  and  when  they  heard  the 
disciples  speaking  of  His  death  and  rising  again,  they  mocked 
at  them,  and  said  loudly  to  each  other — 

"These  men  are  drunk  with  wine."  Perhaps  they  inter- 
rupted Peter,  for  he  heard  them,  and,  bold,  now  that  he  had 
received  in  fuller  measure  the  Spirit  of  his  Master,  Peter  stood 
up  and  calmly  and  in  a  loud  voice,  as  the  chief  of  the  disciples, 
made  his  d  i"ence  to  these  Jews  of  Jerusalem. 

"You  men  of  Judsea,  and  all  who  live  in  Jerusalem,"  he 
said,  "Hsten  to  my  words,  and  let  this  be  known.  These 
men,"  pointing  as  he  spoke  to  the  other  disciples,  "  are  not 
drunk,  as  you  suppose."  Then  at  some  length  he  proceeded 
to  show  from  the  Bible  that  this  strange  scene  was  the  coming 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  of  which  the  prophets  had  spoken  ;  and  he 
went  on  openly  to  accuse  these  Jews  of  Jerusalem  of  the  most 
shameful  cruelty  in  killing  Jesus,  saying — 

"  You   men   of  this  nation,   hear  these  words.     Jesus   of 


HIM    YOU    DID    CRUCIFY.  483 

Nazareth,  a  man  proved  to  be  from  God  by  the  great  works, 
wonders,  and  signs,  which  God  did  through  Him  among  you, 
as  you  yourselves  well  know.  Him  you  did  crucify  and  kill 
by  the  hands  of  unlawful  men.  But  God  hath  raised  Him  up 
again  from  the  grave,  because  it  was  not  possible  that  it 
should  hold  Him."  And  saying  that  King  David  wrote  of 
Jesus  in  the  i6th  Psalm,  Peter  continued,  "This  very  Jesus, 
God  hath  raised  up,  of  which  we  all  are  witnesses,"  pointing  as 
he  spoke  to  those  around  him.  "  He  therefore  being  raised 
to  the  right  hand  of  God,  and  we  having  received  from  Him  a 
promise  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  He  hath  poured  out  this  power 
upon  us  which  you  now  see  and  hear."  And  Peter  ended  his 
speech,  parts  only  of  which  I  have  given  thee,  with  these 
solemn  words,  "  Therefore  let  every  house  in  the  country 
know  as  a  certainty,  that  God  hath  made  both  Lord  and 
Christ  this  Jesus  whom  you  crucified." 

Thus  did  Peter,  the  fisherman  of  Galilee,  show,  in  that 
noble,  fearless  speech,  that  he  was  no  longer  the  same  kind  of 
man  who  denied  Jesus  with  oaths,  but  that  by  the  influence  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  he  was  changed,  and  had  a  power  guiding 
him  to  eloquence  and  truth  such  as  he  never  had  before. 
And  as  the  people  looked  at  him  standing  there  in  the  rough 
clothing  of  a  Galilean  peasant,  and  heard  his  fearless  elo- 
quence and  convincing  reasoning,  some  of  those  city  Jews 
felt  pricked  to  the  heart  when  they  thought  of  the  shameful 
death  of  Jesus  not  two  months  ago,  and  they  asked  the 
disciples,  saying — 

"Brothers,  what  shall  we  do?" 

"  Be  sorry  for  your  wickedness,"  Peter  replied,  speaking  for 
all  the  others,  "  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the  name 
of  Jesus  the  Christ  unto  forgiveness,  and  you  also  shall  receive 
the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit."  And  now  that  they  were  begin- 
ning to  be  sorry,  Peter  went  on  to  speak  of  the  goodness  of 
Jesus,  and  to  urge  them  to  leave  their  old  Teachers,  and  join 
the  Christians.  And  many  who  heard  Peter  that  day  believed 
his  words  and  were  baptized,  and  joined  the  disciples  as 
followers  of  Jesus. 


484  LEARNING   THE    TRUTH. 

This  was  the  first  pubHc  teaching  of  the  disciples  after  the 
death  of  Jesus  of  which  we  are  told,  and  the  bravery  of  Peter 
gave  courage  to  them  all.  They  now  saw  the  error  of  their  early 
training,  in  confounding  material  and  spiritual  things  in  con- 
nection with  the  Christ  and  His  Kingdom.  The  long-mistaken 
dream  of  an  earthly  kingdom  of  cities,  soldiers,  riches,  faded 
away  as  the  reality  of  the  higher  Kingdom  of  Heaven  among 
men,  the  kingdom  of  the  Spirit,  took  hold  of  them.  They 
served  Jesus  no  longer  in  hope  of  rewards,  of  money,  or  of 
high  positions.  All  such  thoughts  were  gone  for  ever.  They 
served  Him  now  out  of  pure  love  for  their  dear  Master,  and 
His  words.  And,  as  the  truth  broke  over  them,  they  under- 
stood the  true  nobility  of  His  lowly  life,  the  deep  beauty  of 
His  teaching,  the  true  meaning  of  His  sayings  about  Heaven 
and  God,  and  their  life  was  henceforth  to  be  spent  in  spread- 
ing His  truth,  spreading  God's  Kingdom  of  Heaven  in  the 
world,  and  in  getting  men,  women,  and  little  children  to 
believe  in  God  and  serve  Him.  They  spoke  so  openly  and 
fearlessly  now,  that  before  many  months  were  gone  three 
thousand  persons  joined  the  Christians,  and  followed  their 
teaching,  among  whom  were  three  hundred  young  priests 
from  the  Golden  Temple  in  Jerusalem,  who  separated  them- 
selves from  their  false  religious  Teachers  who  had  put  Jesus  to 
death. 

And  thus  were  the  disciples  rapidly  changed  from  worldly, 
self-seeking  men  of  very  limited  spiritual  sight,  to  men  of  fear- 
less courage  and  great  self-denial,  seeking  the  things  of 
Heaven  and  God,  with  a  knowledge  of  spiritual  things  such  as 
they  could  never  have  learnt,  but  which  was  given  them 
through  Jesus. 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  remember  that  all  true  speaking  of 
the  words  of  Jesus  is  done  under  the  direct  guidance  of  God's 
Spirit,  as  Peter  spoke.  Not  all  theology,  metaphysics,  science, 
exposition,  distilled  together,  can  avail  to  teach  without  the 
Spirit,  and  having  the  Spirit,  thou  hast  all. 


PETER    AND    JOHN    BEFORE    CAIAPHAS.        485 
PETER   AND    JOHN    BEFORE   CAIAPHAS. 

JERUSALEM,  JUNE,  A.D.   34. 

It  is  well  for  thee  to  know  how  fearlessly  the  disciples 
taught  the  people,  and  how  the  followers  of  Jesus  increased 
and  spread.  Having  become  the  chief  of  the  disciples,  Peter 
went  every  day  with  others  to  the  Golden  Temple,  where  he 
taught  in  the  beautiful  marble  porches  of  the  large  outer  court, 
as  Jesus  had  done.  And  one  day,  as  he  and  John  were  going 
up  the  great  white  steps  at  the  Beautiful  gate  of  the  Temple 
to  afternoon  prayers,  a  beggar  asked  them  for  something. 
Peter  replied  to  him  in  these  noble  words — 

*'  Silver  and  gold  have  I  none,  but  such  as  I  have  I  give 
thee."  And  taking  him  by  the  hand,  he  raised  the  beggar  to 
his  feet,  and  the  man  walked  in  with  Peter  through  Solomon's 
porch,  praising  God  as  he  went,  and  the  people  wondered  and 
came  to  look  at  him,  and  Peter  said  to  them — 

"  You  men  of  Israel,  why  do  you  wonder  at  this  man,  and 
look  at  us  as  though  by  our  own  power  or  goodness  we  have 
made  him  walk?  God  in  this  hath  glorified  His  servant 
Jesus,  whom  you  delivered  up  and  accused  before  Pilate  when 
Pilate  wished  to  set  Him  free.  But  you  denied  the  Holy  and 
Righteous  One,  and  asked  that  Barabbas,  a  murderer  !  should 
be  given  to  you,  and  so  you  killed  the  Prince  of  Life,  whom 
God  hath  raised  from  the  dead,  as  we  have  seen.  Faith  in 
Jesus  hath  made  this  man  strong,  whom  you  see  and  know. 
Yes,  the  faith  which  is  through  Jesus,  hath  given  him  this 
perfect  soundness  in  the  sight  of  you  all.  And  now,  brethren, 
I  know  that  in  ignorance  you  killed  Jesus,  not  knowing  that 
you  were  fulfilling  the  prophecies  in  thus  putting  the  Christ 
to  death.  Turn  !  and  repent  of  your  wickedness,  that  you 
may  be  forgiven,  and  that  there  may  come  to  you  times  of 
refreshing  from  God,  and  that  He  may  send  the  Spirit  of 
Jesus  to  you  all." 

Peter  said  more,  but  he  was  being  watched  as  he  spoke,  for 
the  Priests  and  Sadducees  were  greatly  concerned  when  they 


4S6  IN    THE    NAME    OF   JESUS. 

heard  Peter  and  John  teaching  the  people  that  the  dead  would 
rise  again.  And  they  ordered  the  temple  guards  to  take  them 
both  prisoners,  and  they  were  put  into  prison,  but  that  only 
caused  the  people  to  believe  the  more  what  they  had  said 
about  Jesus. 

Next  morning  Caiaphas,  the  chief  priest,  again  called  his 
great  council  of  priests  and  rulers  together  in  his  palace  on 
Mount  Zion,  this  time  to  try  Peter  and  John,  as  they  had 
tried  Jesus  before, — but  not  at  midnight.  In  the  day  time 
they  met,  and  Caiaphas  sat  on  his  crimson  cushion,  with 
Annas  beside  him,  and  his  brothers  Alexander  and  John,  and 
all  the  chiefs  of  the  priests  and  other  councillors  round  him, 
and  Peter  and  John  were  brought  from  the  prison  into  the 
splendid  hall,  with  their  hands  tied  and  in  charge  of  the 
guards.  The  beggar  was  also  brought  in  whom  Peter  had 
healed,  that  all  might  see  him. 

"  By  what  power,  or  in  what  name  have  you  done  this 
thing?"  asked  Caiaphas,  looking  at  them  sternly.  As  Peter, 
the  rugged  fisherman,  faced  the  cold  proud  murderer  of  his 
dear  young  Master,  standing  on  the  very  spot  where  Jesus  had 
stood  not  three  months  before,  he  was  deeply  moved,  but 
not  with  fear — he  felt  the  Holy  Spirit  within  him  moving  him 
to  speak,  and  looking  boldly  at  Caiaphas,  he  replied — 

"  You  rulers  and  elders  of  the  people,  if  we  are  here  this 
day  to  be  examined  about  a  good  deed  done  to  a  lame  man, 
and  how  he  hath  been  made  whole,  be  it  known  to  you  all, 
and  to  all  the  people,  that  in  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
the  Christ  whom  you  crucified,  but  whom  God  raised  from  the 
dead,  doth  this  man  stand  before  you  whole,"  and  he  pointed 
to  the  lame  beggar,  continuing,  "And  in  none  other  than 
Jesus  is  there  salvation ;  for  there  is  no  other  name  under 
Heaven,  given  among  men,  wherein  we  must  be  saved." 

When  the  council  saw  the  boldness  of  the  two  men,  openly 
telling  their  belief  in  Jesus  in  language  truly  wonderful  for 
GaHlean  fishermen,  they  were  much  surprised,  and  noted  that 
they  had  been  with  Jesus  ;  and  seeing  the  lame  man  there, 
they  could  not  deny  the  healing.      Caiaphas   then  ordered 


OBEY    YOU,    OR    GOD.  487 

them  to  be  taken  out  again,  that  the  council  might  talk 
together  in  private.     And  they  were  taken  out. 

*'  What  shall  we  do  with  these  men?  "  asked  one  councillor. 

"  That  a  wonderful  thing  hath  been  done  through  them  is 
known  to  all  Jerusalem,"  said  another,  "  and  we  cannot  deny 
it." 

"  That  it  may  spread  no  further  among  the  people,"  said  a 
third,  "  let  us  threaten  them  with  punishment  and  order  them 
to  speak  no  more  to  any  man,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  ; "  and  this 
very  moderate  advice  pleased  the  whole  council.  And  calling 
back  Peter  and  John,  Caiaphas  in  a  solemn  voice  told  them 
their  decision,  that  they  would  be  punished  if  they  spoke  any 
more  to  the  people  about  Jesus. 

*'  Whether  it  is  right  before  God,"  answered  Peter  at  once, 
"  to  obey  you  or  to  obey  God,  you  can  judge  for  yourselves ; 
but  we  cannot  do  anything  else  than  speak  of  the  things  which 
we  have  seen  and  heard  of  Jesus."  And  thus  they  refused  to 
obey  the  council.  What  was  to  be  done  ?  They  defied  these 
murderers  of  their  dear  young  Master ;  and  Caiaphas,  being 
afraid  to  punish  them  because  of  the  people,  threatened  them 
again,  and  set  them  free.  How  different  from  their  treatment 
of  Jesus  !  And  Peter  and  John  returned  to  their  friends  and 
told  them  all  that  Caiaphas  had  said,  but  though  they  were 
afraid,  yet  they  continued  to  teach  as  openly  as  before. 

And  thus  were  the  people  taught  about  Jesus,  by  His  brave 
disciples  and  friends.  And,  as  months  passed  into  years,  not 
only  did  they  teach  in  Jerusalem,  but  they  went  into  Samaria, 
Judaea,  and  Galilee,  and  while  the  priests  and  rulers  punished 
many  of  them,  and  killed  others,  still  great  men  like  Stephen, 
Paul,  Barnabas,  joined  them  and  travelled  into  Rome,  Athens, 
Italy,  Greece,  Macedonia,  Egypt,  and  other  countries  and 
cities,  spreading  the  knowledge  of  God  and  of  His  Kingdom 
of  Heaven  among  men.  And  it  is  said  that  one  of  these  early 
Teachers  came  even  to  England  itself,  but  of  that  no  one  can 
be  certain. 

And  thou,  my  child,  wilt  admire  the  courage  of  the  fisher- 
men, Peter  and  John,  standing  before  these  terrible  men  who 


488  THE    FINISHED    PICTURE. 

had  killed  Jesus,  and  speaking  fearlessly  the  truth  as  the 
Spirit  taught  them, — the  friends  and  defenders  of  Him  whom 
their  judges  hated. 


THE   FINISHED   PICTURE. 

In  the  beautiful  church  of  St.  Mark's  at  Venice,  high  over 
the  main  doorway,  there  is  a  large  picture  of  Jesus  sitting  upon 
a  throne,  with  His  mother,  and  Mark  standing  beside  Him. 
It  is  a  wonderful  picture,  made  of  many  pieces  of  coloured 
stone  and  glass, — red,  blue,  yellow,  green, — shading  into  each 
other  and  fitting  so  closely  together  that  the  joinings  cannot 
be  seen,  and  the  picture  looks  as  if  it  had  been  painted  with 
a  brush  upon  a  background  of  gold,  and  set  in  a  frame  of  red 
marble.  Through  this  door  the  young  people  come  into  the 
church,  and  as  they  enter  they  turn  and  look  back  upon  the 
figure  of  Jesus  shining  and  sparkling  in  gold  above  them,  and 
read  these  words  written  upon  the  red  marble  fillet — "  Who 
He  was,  whence  He  caine,  .  .  .  Do  thou  remember !  "  And 
thou,  my  child,  hast  heard  all  about  Jesus  in  one  hundred  and 
fifty-three  little  stories,  following  Him  over  the  green  hills 
and  by  the  blue  Lake,  and  the  end  is  the  Finished  Picture 
looking  out  upon  thee  from  a  background  of  sunshine  and 
flowers. 

He  was  the  Child  of  poor  people,  and  angels  sang  to- 
gether at  His  birth.  He  was  carried  to  Egypt  and  brought 
back  again  to  a  home  in  the  flowery  valley  of  Nazareth,  where 
His  parents  taught  Him.  In  boyhood  He  climbed  the  hills 
behind  the  village,  to  look  out  upon  the  blue  sea,  played  games 
with  other  children,  and  went  to  school,  and  learned  to  read. 
At  twelve  He  went  to  the  great  Golden  Temple  in  Jerusalem 
and  questioned  the  Teachers  of  the  Law.  At  thirteen  He 
began  to  work  in  His  father's  workshop,  learning  to  be  a 
Carpenter,  carrying  wood,  and  toiling  with  hammer  and  saw, 
and  He  had  brothers  and  sisters,  and  cousins,  who  also  lived 
at  Nazareth.     He  was  never  at  a  college,  but  learned  His 


WHAT    JESUS    TAUGHT.  489 

Bible,  and  when  He  grew  to  be  a  man  He  was  the  Carpenter 
of  Nazareth,  until  He  was  thirty. 

He  then  laid  aside  His  Carpenter's  tools,  never  to  take 
them  again,  and  left  Nazareth  to  be  a  Teacher  of  the  will  of 
God  to  men.  He  went  into  a  lonely  desert  to  prepare  Himself, 
and  was  there  tempted,  but  resisted  the  Spirit  of  Evil.  He 
was  baptized  in  the  Jordan  by  His  cousin  John,  and,  gathering 
twelve  disciples  round  Him,  began  to  teach.  He  was  a  strong 
young  countryman  of  a  calm,  happy  nature,  with  a  beautiful 
face,  clear  dark  eyes,  and  most  winning  voice  and  manner. 

At  the  time  when  He  began  to  teach,  the  people  believed 
that  there  were  laws  made  by  God  and  many  rules  made  by 
their  religious  Teachers,  and  that  no  one  could  have  Heaven 
who  did  not  obey  them.  And  while  these  Teachers  laid 
heavy  commandments  upon  the  people,  they  themselves  did 
not  keep  them.  They  favoured  the  rich  and  oppressed  the 
poor,  and  taught  that  only  Jews  could  have  Heaven.  They 
also  taught  that  good  people  should  not  speak  to  bad  people ; 
that  friends  should  be  loved  and  enemies  hated ;  that  women 
were  far  beneath  men  ;  that  a  wonderful  One  called  the  Christ 
would  soon  come  to  the  world  and  with  soldiers  drive  out 
the  Roman  conquerors,  establish  a  great  Kingdom  of  cities, 
armies,  and  power,  and  sit  on  a  throne,  to  live  and  reign  as 
King  of  the  Jews  for  ever.  But  Jesus  said  that  the  poor  and 
the  rich  are  all  alike  before  God  ;  that  in  religion,  God's  com- 
mands are  few  and  simple,  and  that  men's  commands  need 
not  be  obeyed ;  that  all  days  are  alike  good ;  that  men  are 
not  to  hate  their  enemies ;  that  woman  is  man's  equal ;  that 
Heaven  is  not  for  Jews  only ;  that  men  can  worship  God 
without  priests  or  temples  ;  He  also  said  that  He  was  the 
Christ ;  that  God  was  His  Father  and  our  Father ;  that 
God's  Spirit  was  in  Him,  and  that  His  Spirit  would  be  in 
every  one  who  beheved  in  God  and  tried  to  live  like  Him, 
and  that  He  would  never  be  a  King  Hke  the  kings  of  the 
earth,  that  His  Kingdom  of  Heaven  in  the  world  is  not  a 
kingdom  of  cities,  armies,  and  power,  but  of  goodness,  peace, 
and  joy  in  the  hearts  of  men,  women,  and  httle  children. 


490  HOW    HE    TAUGHT. 

He  went  from  village  to  village,  and  taught,  now  standing 
under  a  shady  tree,  now  by  the  Lake's  white  shore,  now  on  a 
green  hill,  now  in  a  cottage,  now  in  the  village  church.  When 
in  Jerusalem,  He  taught  in  the  marble  porches  of  the  Golden 
Temple.  He  also  sent  out  men  to  spread  the  good  tidings  of 
Heaven.  He  had  many  friends  who  followed  Him,  some  of 
the  most  faithful  being  women ;  and  wherever  He  went  He 
was  kind  and  gentle,  heahng  the  sick,  and  speaking  loving 
words  to  little  children.  He  worked  hard,  but  was  full  of 
health,  and  deep,  peaceful  happiness,  and  day  after  day  He 
tired  Himself  with  walking  over  the  hot  dusty  roads.  He 
was  the  most  touching  speaker  that  the  world  has  ever 
heard,  so  that  when  He  spoke  the  people  left  their  work, 
and  stood  in  crowds  to  listen,  and  followed  Him  into  lonely 
places  to  hear  Him  again.  His  teaching  was  full  of  stories 
with  beautiful  references  to  flowers,  trees,  birds,  clouds,  truth, 
love,  gentleness.  Heaven,  and  God  His  Father.  While  the 
stories  are  all  beautiful  in  themselves,  the  most  of  them  never 
happened,  and  it  is  the  teaching  that  surrounds  them  that  they 
were  told  for.  In  some  the  teaching  runs  all  through  them  with 
a  double  meaning,  and  these  we  call  parables.  Latterly  His 
speaking  was  full  of  strong  denunciation  of  the  hypocrisy  of 
the  Judsean  priests  and  Rulers,  whom  He  called  vipers. 

Many  wonderful  things,  which  are  called  miracles,  are  told 
of  Him,  such  as  quieting  a  storm,  creating  bread,  healing  the 
sick,  raising  the  dead.  But  we  never  read  of  Him  doing 
these  things  for  Himself  or  to  show  off  Llis  power;  and 
the  teaching  which  accompanies  each  miracle  is  ever  of 
far  more  consequence  than  the  miracle  itself.  Like  His 
stories,  the  miracles  are  also  parables,  intended  to  explain 
and  convey  His  beautiful  teaching.  Yet  He  was  hungry  and 
tired,  and  wept,  and  slept,  and  bled  like  other  men,  and, 
through  weakness,  became  too  faint  to  carry  His  wooden 
cross  through  Jerusalem.  And  His  teaching  is  more  won- 
derful than  any  miracles,  for  He  spoke  the  truths  of  God 
with  a  marvellous  knowledge  of  man's  nature  and  of  his 
highest  good.     What  men  call  miracles  may  have  been  but 


LOVE    TO    GOD    AND    MAN.  49 1 

a  fuller  knowledge  of  natural  laws,  or  things  misunderstood  or 
incorrectly  reported,  but  His  teaching  stands  sure,  confirmed 
by  all  the  highest  aspirations  of  mankind,  full  of  absolute  and 
universal  truth. 

He  loved  all  men,  and  women,  and  little  children,  and  had 
a  wonderful  power  of  causing  them  to  love  him.  His  purity 
—for  He  did  no  wickedness — did  not  keep  bad  people 
away  from  Him,  but  rather  attracted  them  to  Him.  In  His 
body  He  was  as  other  men  are,  but  in  His  Spirit  He  had  the 
presence  of  God.  He  had  a  penetrating  power  of  gathering 
the  thoughts  and  intentions  of  men,  but  there  were  things 
which  He  did  not  know,  nor  wish  to  know.  He  specially 
loved  His  mother  and  His  disciples.  He  loved  the  faithful 
Mary  Magdalene  and  the  rich  young  Ruler.  He  loved  and 
praised  little  children  more  than  all  else  on  earth,  and  told 
His  disciples  to  be  hke  them,  for  Heaven  is  theirs. 

He  spoke  much  of  His  Kingdom  of  Heaven  among  men, 
and  set  an  example  to  all  the  world  of  a  perfectly  good  and 
beautiful  life,  but  we  know  of  nothing  that  He  ever  wrote. 
All  His  sayings  and  doings  were  written  by  His  disciples  and 
friends  from  notes  and  from  memory  years  after  His  death, 
so  that  His  very  words,  in  the  Bible,  are  not  to  be  so  much 
looked  to,  as  their  broad  Spirit.  Of  love  to  God,  love  to 
man,  self-denial,  rewards  for  being  good,  and  punishments 
for  being  bad.  He  often  spoke,  and  bade  each  man  watch  and 
judge  himself  and  not  judge  others.  Himself  refusing  to  be 
a  judge  between  people.  He  said  that  His  followers 
would  be  known  by  their  loving  each  other  and  keeping 
His  commandments ;  a  good  life,  a  life  like  His,  being 
the  beginning  and  end  of  all  religion.  Wickedness  He 
hated,  and  looked  upon  hypocrisy  as  the  worst  kind  of 
wickedness,  for  it  pretended  to  be  goodness,  and  the  Priests 
and  Rulers  of  the  Jews  He  called  hypocrites.  He  sought  to 
free  the  people  from  the  power  of  their  religious  Teachers, 
their  errors  regarding  the  Christ  and  His  Kingdom,  and 
their  forms,  their  ceremonies,  their  empty  shows,  which 
may    be    only    the    cloaks    of    hypocrisy.      Their    Sabbath 


492  THE    PRIESTS    HATED    HIM. 

observances,  church-going,  long  prayers,  gifts  to  the  Temple, 
feasting  and  fasting,  sacrifices,  sad  faces,  sober  dressing,  good 
appearances,  and  calling  Him  "  Master " ;  these.  He  said, 
were  not  religion.  A  man  might  do  all  these  and  still  be  bad, 
while  a  man  might  do  none  of  them  and  yet  be  good.  The 
test  of  goodness,  He  said,  is  within  us,  and  of  it  God  is  the 
sole  judge.  Thus  He  taught  the  people  a  way  to  have 
Heaven  by  obeying  God,  without  the  help  of  priests  or 
creeds,  saying  that  men  must  feel  drawn  to  God,  and  receive 
His  Spirit  direct,  if  they  would  have  Heaven,  and  that  without 
His  Spirit  all  else  is  useless. 

He  had  not  taught  for  many  months  until  the  Priests  and 
religious  Teachers  of  the  Law,  who  had  friends  in  all  the 
villages,  said  He  was  breaking  their  rules,  and  watched  Him 
to  have  Him  punished.  They  found  fault  with  Him  for  not 
washing  hands  before  eating  food ;  for  letting  His  disciples 
pluck  wheat,  for  healing  sick  people  on  the  Sabbath  day, 
and  for  being  an  unlearned  young  Carpenter  who  presumed 
to  teach.  Most  of  all  they  found  fault  with  Him  for  saying 
He  was  the  Son  of  God.  But  His  power  with  the  people 
grew,  and  He  set  Himself  against  the  Sabbath  rules  of  their 
hard  Teachers.  The  poor  heard  Him  gladly,  and  the  Priests 
were  annoyed  to  find  that  the  people  were  turning  against 
them.  At  one  time  He  was  such  a  favourite  that  the  people 
wished  to  make  Him  their  King.  As  His  favour  grew,  the 
hatred  of  the  Priests  increased.  They  frequently  challenged 
Him  to  prove  that  He  was  from  God,  by  working  a  wonder 
before  them.  ,but  this  He  always  refused  to  do ;  and  they 
caused  the  churches  of  Judaea  and  GaHlee  to  be  shut  against 
Him,  and  then  in  Council  at  Jerusalem  they  resolved  that  He 
must  be  taken  and  put  to  death.  They  set  spies,  and  made 
bargains  even  with  their  own  enemies,  to  have  Him  injured, 
or  taken  a  prisoner.  They  asked  Him  tricky  questions 
to  entangle  Him,  but  were  defeated  so  often  in  public  discus- 
sions in  the  Temple  that  they  gave  that  up,  and  soldiers  sent 
to  take  Him,  when  they  heard  His  wonderful  voice,  refused  to 
touch  Him.     They  tried  to  keep  Him  away  from  their  great 


THREE    YEARS    A    TEACHER.  493 

Festivals  at  Jerusalem,  but  still  He  came.  His  twelve  dis- 
ciples kept  close  to  Him,  but  misunderstood  greatly  what  He 
taught.  They  believed  He  had  come  to  be  a  great  world's 
King,  and  whenever  they  thought  things  were  prospering  in 
that  direction  they  quarrelled  as  to  who  should  be  His  greatest 
officer,  two  of  them  giving  great  offence  by  asking  to  be  put 
over  all  the  rest.  Yet  none  of  them  left  Him,  helping  Him 
all  they  could  until  near  the  end, — excepting  one. 

After  a  little  over  three  years  of  work,  walking  about  the 
country  in  Summer  and  Winter,  teaching  everywhere,  during 
which  He  travelled  over  many  hills  and  valleys  and  through 
hundreds  of  towns  and  villages,  although  He  never  was 
further  away  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the  village 
where  He  was  born,  He  felt  that  His  work  was  done,  the  seed 
of  Christianity  sown,  that  would  flower  over  all  the  world ; 
His  Kingdom  of  Heaven  among  men.  He  knew  that  the 
hatred  of  the  Priests  and  Rulers  would  bring  about  His 
death.  But  death  had  no  terrors  for  him,  and  though  His 
body  would  feel  all  the  pains  and  His  mind  all  the  shrinkings 
from  death,  and  strong  temptations  beset  Him,  yet  to  Him  hfe 
and  death  were  one — He  had  Heaven  within  Him.  When 
His  time  was  come  to  die,  He  went  to  Jerusalem,  when 
thousands  were  there  at  a  Passover  Festival,  and  rode  into  the 
city  amid  the  shouts  of  the  people,  and  a  second  time  drove 
out  the  traders  from  the  Golden  Temple,  and  taught  there  in 
defiance  of  the  Priests,  who  tried  to  stop  Him,  but  were  afraid 
to  touch  Him  because  so  many  of  the  people  were  on  His 
side. 

Judas  betrayed  Him,  and  was  sorry  for  it  when  too  late, 
and  He  was  taken  a  prisoner  by  a  band  of  armed  soldiers  at 
midnight  in  a  moonlit  garden.  He  was  tried  by  the  Priests 
and  Rulers  at  a  mock  trial  in  the  night-time,  for  His  judges 
were  His  bitterest  enemies,  who  condemned  Him  to  die  for 
calling  Himself  the  Son  of  God,  which  they  said  was  blas- 
phemy. He  was  then  taken  from  one  palace  to  another,  and 
Pilate,  the  Roman  Governor  and  judge,  while  saying  He 
was  innocent,  gave  authority  for  Him  to  be  killed,  but  Jesus 


494  ^IS    DEATH. 

rose  superior  to  them  all,  refusing  to  plead  any  defence. 
Even  when  scourged  and  buffeted  and  spat  upon  by  the 
soldiers  He  did  not  complain,  and  only  when  He  sank  under 
the  weight  of  His  rugged  cross  did  they  spare  Him.  He  was 
crucified  while  still  a  young  man — thirty-three  years  and  four 
months  old.  In  no  way  did  He  try  to  escape  that  death  of 
the  Innocent,  which  He  knew  would  gain  the  sympathy  of  the 
world,  and  turn  the  eyes  of  all  men  towards  Him,  and  when 
dying  He  prayed  His  Father  in  Heaven  to  forgive  His 
murderers.  By  good  men  He  was  buried  in  Joseph's  garden, 
but  His  Spirit  did  not  die,  and  to  many  people  in  the  weeks 
that  followed,  He  was  made  manifest  in  different  ways,  some 
believing  that  they  saw  His  body  alive  again,  while  others 
doubted.  After  His  death  His  Spirit,  which  is  God's  Spirit, 
came  to  His  followers  in  increased  measure,  making  them 
bold,  enabling  their  minds  to  understand  what  He  had  said, 
showing  them  their  errors,  and  convincing  them  that  the 
Spiritual  Kingdom  which  Jesus  had  founded,  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven  among  men,  was  far  more  glorious  and  enduring 
than  any  other  kingdom  could  ever  be. 

His  teaching  made  plain  the  religion  which  the  Priests  and 
religious  Teachers  had  made  so  difficult ;  making  it  so  simple 
that  a  child  can  understand  it.  His  life  and  death  made  God 
and  His  love  to  men  more  fully  known,  and  drew  men  to  Him, 
enabling  them  to  live  good  lives,  and  thus  He  is  the  Saviour 
of  mankind.  Thou  wilt  hear  it  said  that  He  died  to  satisfy 
God's  anger  against  men,  but  Jesus  never  said  so  ;  saying 
rather  that.|Ie  died  to  draw  men  to  God.  The  Jewish 
Priests  and  religious  Teachers  with  their  creeds,  rules,  cere- 
monies, and  symbols,  had  strangled  and  stifled  the  true  wor- 
ship of  God,  and  Jesus  set  it  free,  showing  that  God  by  His 
Spirit  speaks  direct  to  men  and  will  dwell  in  them,  and  teach 
them  His  will,  and  help  them  to  obey  it.  Thou  thyself  art 
a  temple  of  God,  and  the  worship  of  spirit  answering  to  spirit 
is  within  thee. 

The  effect  of  His  death  upon  His  disciples  was  as  thou  hast 
heard,  to  banish  all  foolish  dreams,  and  to  open  to  them  the 


WHAT    WAS    HE?  495 

true  meaning  of  His  beautiful  life.  From  self-seeking  they 
became  self-sacrificing  men,  teaching  whatever  the  Spirit  of 
God  prompted  them  to  speak,  first  in  Jerusalem,  denouncing 
the  powerful  men  who  had  killed  Jesus,  and  then  all  over  the 
country,  and  into  foreign  lands,  and  His  simple  Gospel  of 
listening  to  and  following  the  voice  of  God  as  our  Father  in 
Heaven,  spread,  and  was  welcomed  by  true  spirits  everywhere 
hke  light  from  the  sun.  They  taught  that  by  believing  in 
Jesus  as  the  living  Example  of  God,  men  would  be  saved 
from  wickedness  and  would  follow  righteousness.  And  by 
these  men,  the  Bible,  which  had  been  closed  for  five  hun- 
dred years,  was  opened  again,  and  chapters  and  books  added 
to  it  of  the  life  of  Jesus  and  His  teaching — a  new  portion, 
which  transcends  the  old  as  the  sun  the  moon.  And  such 
power  is  in  His  life  and  words  that  Jesus  has  become  the 
central  figure  of  the  religions  of  many  nations,  and  influences 
the  religions  of  many  more. 

What  was  He?  thou  dost  ask.  God  or  man?  If  God, 
why  is  He  called  man  ?  If  man,  why  is  He  called  God  ?  My 
child.  He  is  both  God  and  man.  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  God 
was  in  Jesus  to  the  fullest  extent  that  a  man's  body  can  have 
His  Spirit.  God  was  in  Him,  and  yet,  having  a  man's  body 
and  a  man's  feelings,  He  was  liable  to  be  tempted  to  wicked- 
ness just  as  we  are.  He  showed  us  how  pure  and  beautiful 
and  good  a  perfect  man  is,  so  to  draw  us  nearer  to  the  Spirit 
of  God  which  made  Him  so.  Why  God  chose  this  way  of 
showing  Himself  to  men  we  can  never  know.  It  is  enough 
that  He  did  so.  And  we  must  listen  to  the  teaching  of  Jesus 
as  to  the  voice  of  God,  for  He  Who  never  spoke  a  false  thing, 
said  that  His  words  were  the  Spirit  and  Truth  of  God. 
Thou,  my  child,  canst  never  be  as  good  as  Jesus,  nor  have  so 
much  of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  thee,  yet,  though  far  behind, 
thou  canst  follow  after  and  look  up  to  Him,  and  as  God's  Spirit 
groweth  in  thee,  making  thy  life  better,  thou  wilt  gain  and 
come  closer  to  Jesus,  still  seeing  Him,  with  clear  dark  eyes 
bent  upon  thee,  His  loving  hand  outstretched,  leading  thee 
onward  and  upward  into  God's  Kingdom  of  Heaven.     And 


496  WHAT    IS    HE    TO    THEE  ? 

remember,  that  of  all  who  follow  Him,  He  loveth  little 
children  best.  He  told  in  human  words  what  the  Spirit  of 
God  in  all  lands  whispers  to  man's  spirit,  that  men  may  hear, 
and  read,  and  believe,  and  feed  upon  His  words,  and  learn  to 
trust  in  and  pray  to  God  and  get  guidance  from  Him.  And 
by  His  sorrowful  death  He  sought  to  win  men,  so  that  they, 
by  loving  Him,  may  turn  away  from  wickedness  and  follow 
goodness  as  seen  in  Him ;  for  it  is  of  the  essence  of  love  to 
turn  the  lover  into  the  nature  of  the  thing  beloved,  and  if  the 
thing  beloved  be  Jesus,  the  perfect  One,  thou  canst  not  stand 
still,  but  must  evermore  grow  liker  Him,  and  so  liker  God. 

And  now,  my  child,  what  is  He  to  thee  ?  Whether  thou  art 
a  gentle  fair-haired  girl  or  a  dark-haired  valiant  boy.  His  life 
and  death  are  all  for  thee,  as  though  there  were  none  else  but 
thee  in  the  world.  And  His  life  should  be  especially  dear  to 
little  children.  They  cannot  understand  the  creeds,  rules,  and 
forms  of  religion  which  older  people  may  learn,  but  the  small- 
est child  can  believe  in  the  beautiful  life  of  Jesus,  and  can 
trust  what  He  said,  and  try  to  be  patient,  gentle,  self-denying, 
good,  as  He  was.  And  how  He  loved  children  !  and  clasped 
them  in  His  arms  and  blessed  them  in  the  presence  of  their 
mothers,  and  set  them  before  His  disciples  as  examples  of 
the  kind  of  minds  that  have  Heaven.  How  art  thou  to  love 
Him  in  return  ?  Listen  to  His  words  as  they  are  read  to  thee 
or  as  thou  dost  read  them.  Listen  to  God's  voice  within  thee 
guiding  thee  into  right.  Obey  Jesus,  for  that  is  to  have  faith 
in  Him.  Pray  to  God  to  help  thee,  and  give  thee  more  of  His 
Spirit,  and  w^en  in  doubt,  ask  Him  to  tell  thee  what  is  right 
for  thee  to  do,  and  do  what  His  voice  in  thy  conscience  tells 
thee  is  right.  Strive  against  wrong,  for  to  do  wrong  is  to  dis- 
obey God's  voice.  Try  to  do  right,  for  that  is  to  obey  and  to 
beUeve  in  Him.  And  the  more  thou  doest  right  and  refusest 
wrong,  the  easier  will  it  become  to  thee,  and  the  Holy  Spirit 
within  thee  will  grow  stronger,  and  thy  little  life  will  become 
purer  and  more  like  Jesus. 

To  imitate  His  life,  thou  must  try  to  spread  His  Kingdom 
of  Heaven  among  men,  of  goodness,  gentleness,  and  peace, 


THY    HOPE    AND    GUIDE.  497 

by  thought,  word,  and  deed.  Love  all  people,  judge  no  one, 
be  thy  own  priest,  and  pray  to  God  and  have  thy  spirit 
strengthened,  for  that  is  worship.  Let  no  one  come  between 
thee  and  God,  for  none  can  hinder  thee  from  worshipping 
Him,  whether  it  be  in  church  or  on  the  silent  moor,  and  very 
few  can  help  thee.  Set  thy  face  against  all  men,  creeds,  or 
ceremonies,  that  would  seek  to  limit  thy  worship  or  to 
mediate  between  thy  spirit  and  God,  for  His  Spirit  can  only 
come  to  thee  direct.  Lay  thy  past  deeds  in  prayer  before 
Him,  and  ask  forgiveness  for  thy  faults ;  lay  also  thy  future 
plans,  and  ask  strength  to  do  what  is  right.  Give  up  every- 
thing that  would  hinder  His  truth,  love,  and  peace  from  being 
highest  in  thy  heart,  and  thou  wilt  find  that  it  will  raise  higher 
all  true  love  of  men  and  women,  all  true  work,  and  all  true 
pleasure  in  life.  Strive  to  let  the  Spirit  of  Jesus,  and  His  life 
and  words,  flow  in  upon  thy  spirit,  until  His  Spirit  becometh 
thine.  Then  wilt  thou  be  one  in  spirit  with  Him  as  He  is 
One  with  God. 

And  what  child  would  not  try  to  be  in  some  part  like  The 
Carpenter  of  Nazareth?  To  have  the  gentleness  which 
blessed  the  little  children ;  the  courage  which  faltered  not 
before  Pilate ;  the  wisdom  that  spoke  the  Address  on  Mount 
Hattin ;  the  self-denial  which  demanded  the  escape  of  His 
disciples ;  and  the  love  that  gave  up  His  young  life  to  save 
us  all ; — virtues  which  were  shared  in  by  John,  Peter,  James, 
Paul,  and  the  Marys — names  that  are  far  above  kings  or 
queens — names  which  love  crowns  with  a  diadem,  richer  than 
gold  and  purer  than  diamonds — names  such  as  thou  mayest 
win  by  the  help  of  God's  Spirit  dwelling  in  thee.  Then  the 
(lark  door  of  death  will  be  to  thee  the  gate  of  Heaven, 
all  glorious  within,  where  children  and  angels  are — children 
of  His  Kingdom,  who  followed  these  blessed  feet  that 
walked  the  flowery  vales  and  hills  of  Galilee  so  many 
years  ago — angels  of  God  that  watched  Him  there.  And 
looking  down  from  the  gardens  of  God's  beautiful  Home, 
thou  wilt  rejoice  that  by  early  turning  to  Him,  thy  life 
on   earth  was   spent  not   in  gathering  a  heap  of  gold,  not 


49^  THE    LORD    BLESS    THEE. 

in  winning  medals  on  the  awful  fields  of  war,  not  in  idle 
pleasure-seeking,  or  in  doing  or  saying  harmful  things ;  but 
that  by  following  His  righteousness,  gentleness,  and  peace, 
thou  didst  what  thou  could  to  leave  in  the  world  a  little 
more  of  the  flower  and  seed  of  goodness  and  beauty,  grown 
openly,  scattered  freely  in  the  name  and  for  the  sake  of 
Jesus,  the  Carpenter  of  Nazareth.  For  the  sum  of  all  religion 
is  to  live  a  good  life  in  the  fear  of  God.  And  now,  my  child, 
farewell. 

"  The  Lord  bless  thee,  and  keep  thee : 

"  The  Lord  make  His  face  shine  upon  thee^  and  be  gracious 
unto  thee  : 

"  The  Lord  lift  up  His  countenance  upon  thee,  and  give  thee 
peace, ^^ 


THE   END. 


« 


Typography  by  J.  S.  Gushing  &  Co.,  Boston. 
Presswork  by  Berwick  &  Smith,  Boston. 


JESUS,   THE    CARPENTER   OF 
NAZARETH. 


BY  A  LAYMAN. 


One  Volume.     12mo.     $1.50. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  ENGLISH  REVIEWS  OF  THE  WORK. 

"  The  spirit  in  which  it  is  written  is  excellent  for  its  theological  breadth 
and  ethical  elevation.  The  pictures  are  admirably  drawn,  and  cannot 
fail  to  interest  children."  —  Manchester  Guardian. 

"  The  child  into  whose  hands  this  book  may  be  put,  or  to  whom  it 
may  be  read,  will  probably  learn  many  things  which  are  new  to  him.  He 
will,  however,  be  a  lucky  child,  for  a  '  Layman '  has  succeeded  admirably 
in  his  purpose  of  retelling  the  Gospel  story  in  a  style  adapted  to  the 
capacities  of  children.  He  has  evidently  studied  very  carefully  the 
scenery  and  costumes  of  the  Bible  land  and  time,  and  is  able,  by  a  few 
vivid  touches  here  and  there,  to  call  up  the  successive  scenes  of  the  sacred 
drama,  and  give  them  life  and  reality,  in  a  way  that  has  not  often  been 
surpassed."  —  Scotsman. 

"  We  desire  to  commend  this  book  most  heartily  to  our  readers.  We 
have  submitted  it  to  the  best  of  practical  tests  by  placing  it  in  a  mother's 
hands,  and  her  quick  discovery  of  the  fact  that  '  it  was  the  very  book  she 
had  long  been  wanting,'  coupled  with  her  eager  admiration  of  its  refined 
and  truly  spiritual  character,  embolden  us  to  recommend  it  with  absolute 
confidence."  —  Literary  World. 

"  We  believe  that  children  will  listen  to  it  with  interest  and  that  their 
parents  will  read  it  with  improvement."  —  Belfast  Witness. 

"  To  every  mother  we  would  recommend  the  volume  as  one  of  which 
her  little  folk  are  not  likely  to  tire,  and  which  will  be  helpful,  beyond  any 
similar  aid  we  have  seen,  in  making  the  Sabbath  evenings  in  the  home  a 
delight."  —  Christian  Leader. 

"  The  book  is  certainly  written  in  a  style  calculated  to  interest,  and  to 
hold  the  attention  of  those  for  whom  it  is  intended."  —  Graphic. 

"  It  is  one  of  the  very  best  of  the  kind  we  have  seen."  —  Glasgow 
Herald 


"  A  boon  to  parents  and  Sunday-school  teachers."  —  Liverpool  Post. 

**  One  of  the  most  truly  noble  and  beautiful  books  we  have  read  for 
a  long  time."  —  Scots  Magazine. 

"  We  hope  it  may  be  widely  circulated,  so  that  many  further  editions 
may  be  required."  —  Ihe  Friend. 

"  It  will  abundantly  repay  perusal  by  those  especially  who  from  long 
familiarity  with  the  words  of  the  Bible,  or  from  any  other  cause,  have 
failed  to  be  impressed  with  the  beauty  and  reality  of  the  story."  — 
Friends''  Quarterly  Review. 

"  The  narrative  is  given  in  terms  which  are  vivid  and  reverent,  free 
from  all  artificiality  and  familiarity,  and  in  natural  harmony  with  the  sub- 
ject. A  book  for  mothers  of  all  creeds  to  read  to  their  children."  — 
Critical  Quarterly  Review. 

"  Anything  more  delightful  for  children,  young  and  old,  has  not  seen 
the  light  for  many  a  long  day." —  Sunday  School  Magazine. 

"  It  comes  very  near  the  ideal  of  that  kind  of  non-doctrinal  religious 
teaching  which  children  of  all  ages  should  receive."  —  National  Observer. 

"  The  author  has  done  with  singular  grace  and  poetic  feeling  a  task 
which  sorely  needed  doing."  —  Christian  World. 

"  Experiment  has  proved  that  the  book  meets  the  approval  of  children, 
both  of  younger  and  of  older  growth.  A  single  expression  often  breaks 
out  a  window  for  us,  and  gives  quite  a  new  glimpse  into  the  real  atmos- 
phere of  the  life  of  Jesus.  The  book  deserves  a  place  in  every  Christian 
family."  —  Rev.  Dr.  Marcus  Dods,  in  the  Expositor. 

"  I  think  the  idea  of  this  book  —  the  aim  and  intention  —  excellent 
and  the  execution  beautiful.  The  author  has  caught  the  lyric  simphcity 
of  the  Gospels,  and  largely  succeeded  in  telling  the  story  in  the  same 
quaint  unworldly  way.  I  like  much  the  last  paragraphs  of  the  chapters. 
The  lesson  is  al  *ys  apposite,  important,  and  happily  expressed.  I  wish 
ministers  were  acquainted  with  the  book.  Nothing  could  be  more  use- 
ful than  to  have  a  chapter  out  of  it  read  to  the  young  in  church."  —  Rev. 
Professor  Bruce,  D.D. 


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